An Unexpected Gift
by Skaterstar57
Summary: Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea; he doesn't want to do it. But when we meets a brunet there that is "special" his life is turned upside down. RikuxSora, AkuRoku, LeonxCloud, Zemyx
1. A Very Sucky December

Hey there! Skaterstar57 here, attempting to write a KH Christmas story... Yeah, I probably failed. X-X Heh. Well, I hope to finish this off by Christmas-that probably won't be happening. -Sigh- Ah well. I can dream, right?

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to –i-help-i- them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** Me? Own Kingdom Hearts? Hah! –Goes in corner to weep-

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** They make me write faster. So if you want to see the second chapter sooner, you should probably review... Come on-it would make me oh so happy. :)

**A/N:** Woo. This is my lame attempt at a Christmas fic. I already have a few chapters written out...but I haven't read through them yet. But hopefully updates will be quick-especially if I want to finish this fic off by Christmas. Also, for all who read my other story, "I'll Be There for You", I'm trying to update either tonight or tomorrow. I know it's been a while...so you can like, shoot me if you want to. ...Wait, if you shoot me, I'd be dead, and then I couldn't update, so it would kind of lose the point. Meh. Oh, and I know you don't get winter break as early as Riku does in this fic...let's just say it's for convenience for this story. XD

This first chapter's more of a set up-the story gets more interesting as it goes along! All right, enough of my rambling, on with the story!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 1. A Very Sucky December

-o-

_"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

It was November 30th, and it was snowing outside...

"_Mom_! How could you do this to me?"

And all was calm outside...

"It's for your own good!"

...and inside the Sugisaki household.

"It is not!"

Yes, quite calm.

"Yes, it is!" Mrs. Sugisaki insisted.

-Whistles- Could this get any more awkward?

The silver-haired boy crossed his arms. "I hate you."

"I hate you, too, sweetie pie." She smiled widely.

Riku Sugisaki, her son, groaned.

"I'm telling you. It will be good for you, Riku. It's nice to give to other people. It is the season of giving, after all." She smirked.

He stared up at her, narrowing his eyes.

"Come on, helping out with an orphanage isn't as bad as you think!"

"_Yes_, it is," he insisted.

She sighed. "I see you'll never see the light, Riku. Oh well. Whether you like it or not, you're helping out with that orphanage. **End of discussion.**"

Riku continued to give her his death glare, but groaned and fell back onto their couch as he gave up. "FINE! I'll help out with the fucking orphanage!"

1..

2...

3...

"OWW! Leggo of my ear!" Riku whined.

"Not a chance," said Riku's mother. She then proceeded to walk with Riku, still relentlessly pulling his ear, and dragged him up the stairs to his bedroom. She opened the door and tossed him inside. "I'm glad you've decided to help, Riku. But you need to learn to stop swearing so much!" With that, she slammed the door shut, the smirk still intact on her face.

"I learned it from you," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" came the sing-song voice from the hall...or was it Hell?

Riku groaned and grabbed his pillow and attempted to drain out the horrid voice. She had no right! No right, whatsoever! He growled. Gosh, how could she do this to him? Christmas break was starting next week, and what did she have to do? Sign him up to help out at an orphanage! He'd lose all his free time...

"Just peachy, Mom," he grumbled into the pillow. He sighed and threw the pillow at a wall. "I wanted my free time." He frowned. He then grabbed his phone and dialed the number of his best friend, Axel.

* * *

"Come on, Riku. It's not that bad."

"Yes, it IS! How many fucking times do I have to say that, damn it?"

"Guh-eeze, touchy."

"Shut your mouth, Axel."

The redhead sighed on the other line. "Really, Riku, you'll have to learn to deal with it."

"It's not like you have to deal with it," grumbled Riku.

Axel grinned. "Cheer up. You may end up liki—"

Riku glared at no one, burning a hole in the wall. "I will NOT end up liking it. End. Of. Discussion."

"Fuh-ine. Come on, I'll come by your house tomorrow after school; I'll make sure you have fun. But wouldn't anyone have fun when they're best friends with the sexiest man alive?"

Riku rolled his eyes, but he chuckled too. "You're so cocky, Axel."

"Learned it from you, Riku."

Riku laughed fully this time. He smiled. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Axel."

"Sure thing," he said before hanging up.

Riku closed his cell phone and then sighed. He heard his mom call out, "Dinner's ready!" but he wasn't that sure if he was really hungry. She sang out again, "It's chicken tonight!" **(1)**

Riku sped out of his room like a light and ran down the stairs

* * *

Okay, it was now December 1st...the first day of December. Everyone loved December, right? It meant you got free time, got to spend time with your wonderful (yeah right,) family, and it meant Christmas was on its way. What could possibly go wrong in December?

For Riku Sugisaki...everything

First of all, the last day of school was...to quote Riku, "Fucking miserable." Yeah...nice. Okay, moving on...

Riku was of course one of the top boys in the school; he was rich, good looking, and smart to boot. What more could someone ask for? (**Riku:** Free time...**Miss Star:** Stay out of this! -Pushes-) Ahem...

Anyway, all the girls (and some guys) were completely in love with Riku. So he got quite a bit of attention, he had some great friends (**Riku:** More like stupid friends... **Miss Star:** I said stay out of this!)

Riku was great at sports, too. Did I forget to mention that? He could do anything, basically. Football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and blitzball. Ah, blitzball. Riku's favorite and best sport. He was the captain of the team, of course. Other star players were his friends, as well: Axel, Tidus, Wakka..

How could Riku's last day at school possibly be horrid? Well, I don't want to go into it _too_ much. Too embarrassing, you know. But I will give you a few hints:

Fangirl mobs.

Food fights ruining silver hair.

Dumbass teacher giving him too many damn detentions.

And most of all—that dumb Axel.

Yes, almost everything that happened at school today was Axel's damn fault. _He_ had told all the girls where Riku was hiding, so they could attempt to snatch him up. _He started_ the stinkin' food fight during lunch today. And _he_ had gotten him in trouble with the teacher.

So now, Riku was grumbling as he walked home to school. It was quite chilly outside, and he was glad his mom had insisted he wear his coat today. He was wearing his scarf, too. He loved his scarf so much. If it was cold outside, he didn't feel complete without it. Plain and simple.

Riku continued to grumble as he walked up the still snowy steps to his house. He opened the door, and was immediately glomped. "Riku! I heard you're helping out with the orphanage, huh?" squealed a WAY too hyper voice.

Riku groaned from his position on the ground.

Selphie Tilmitt + sugar = bad consequences. VERY bad consequences. Riku was about to growl at her when a sing-song voice called out, "Did you have a good day at school today, honey?"

Riku groaned and fell back onto his head. "Ow."

* * *

Once Riku finally managed to pry himself from Selphie's arms, he called Tidus and tricked him to come over. Selphie saw him, locked her arms around him instead, and left giggling. Riku was thoroughly relieved

Riku was lying down on the couch, nearly asleep, since he was thoroughly exhausted from the absolutely hideous day at school. His eyes slowly closed; he was fully prepared to slip into sweet, sweet dreamland...

"So, Riku, since today's Friday, you're going to work at the orphanage tomorrow. Remember, you're not getting paid for this," a stupid voice startled Riku from his near-sleep.

"Whatever," he mumbled, attempting to go to dreamland once more.

"Riku, did you HEAR ME? I said you're going to help with the orphanage TOMORROW not Monday!" she repeated, only louder this time.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

1...

2...

3...

Riku's eyes snapped wide open, the words finally registering in his brain. "WHAT?" he screeched.

___________"_You heard me," she said blissfully and began to walk away. He grabbed onto the back of her shirt. She smirked. "And by the way, you aren't getting paid for this, either."

His eyes widened. "Just great! I hate you all! You, Axel, Selphie, Tidus, children...EVERYONE!"

"That's very nice, dear."

"Will you listen to me, woman?"

Riku was snatched up by the collar of his shirt and held up in the air. "What did you call me?"

"Err...uhh..." The grip tightened. "Mother dearest?"

Riku was dropped to the ground. "That's what I thought you said."

Riku rubbed his head before deciding he needed peace and quiet. Where did he go to? His room, of course. Well, he made it to the stairs before the door flew open, letting in a chilly wind.

"I am here to bring Christmas cheer!" came the voice from the door.

Riku's eyes widened as his mouth was left agape. "No...it couldn't be..." He then closed his eyes and gulped.

"Sephy? Is that you?" Riku's mother called from the kitchen.

"Yes, it is I, Mother. I am staying here until Christmas, if you don't mind."

Riku turned around slowly, twitching. "_**I**_ mind!"

"Oh, Riku, DARLING! How have you been? My, you've grown since I last saw you, haven't you? Your hair's longer, too. You're looking more and more like me every day.

Riku grumbled curses under his breath, seriously considering cutting off all his silver hair.

"Of course you can, Sephy!" Mrs. Sugisaki came out from the kitchen, apron and all. A huge smile was on her face. Riku knew it meant: "Sephy and I are going to have so much fun torturing you during your time off." He groaned again.

"Aww, why the sad face, Ri? You know how much you mean to me," said Sephiroth blissfully.

"Sure I do," he muttered. "And you know how much you mean to me, right?" He smirked.

"So," started Mrs. Sugisaki, "is Vincent going to be coming as well?"

"Oh, gah, please no," Riku prayed.

"Sadly he isn't going to make it here until Christmas Eve. He's spending time with his family now."

"Oh, well, that's nice, Sephy. But I'm sorry you won't be able to spend more time with Riku. He's going to be helping out with an orphanage."

"Really? Why Riku, I think that's quite splendid of you to help those in need during your time off. They are so in need of your tender, loving care that only _you _can provide!"

"Do you have to over dramatize everything?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Oh my gosh. He admits it." Riku knew a headache was coming on. A **big** one.

A timer in the kitchen began to beep over and over again. Mrs. Sugisaki quickly sat up. "That's dinner, boys; it will be ready soon. Why don't you...try to catch up while I'm gone." As she walked away, she grinned at Riku mischievously. Riku felt like dying, but before doing that, he wanted to kill two certain silver-haired people. Two _close_ silver-haired people.

"So, Riku, how'd Mom get you to sign up for that orphanage?" Sephiroth asked.

Riku arched an eyebrow. "You're acting normal?"

"It's fun, sometimes. Yes."

Riku coughed. "Well, she didn't tell me she was going to. But now she's forcing me to," he explained.

"I see. Exactly what she did to me when I was younger... Hmm. Anyway, Riku, don't get down too badly. You may find that things aren't always exactly what they seem. Really."

Riku sighed and leaned back on the couch. "I guess you're right. I'll just miss my free time, that's all."

Sephiroth took off his coat and hung it in the closet. He walked back to Riku and sat down on the couch beside him. "I know the feeling," he said.

Just then, their mother decided to barge through the door, yelling, "Dinner's ready, my darlings!"

"Oh, goody!" Sephiroth jumped up and ran to the dining room.

"Great, the old Seph's back," Riku groaned.

* * *

Dinner was as great as always. After all, their mother used to be a chef, before their dad had died, anyway. She decided she wanted to have a closer look on her darling boys, so she decided to give up her job and stay home. How could she afford it? Quite simple, really. They were rich.

Filthy, stinkin' rich. (**Riku:** I am not filthy, nor do I stink. **Miss Star: **I said get out! Stay out of the damn story, already! **Riku:** So you're calling your own fic 'damn story' now? **Miss Star:** SHUT UP! **Riku:** Fine! -Crosses arms-)

_Ahem._ As I was saying, they were rich, _very_ rich. Another reason why all the girls at school loved Riku. Everyone loved the rich, because they wanted to be rich. (Isn't that how all people think, after all?) And I guess you could say, for lack of a better term, that Riku was sort of stuck-up, as well. Another reason why he didn't exactly want to help out with the orphanage. He considered them to be so _opposite _of himself. He was _rich. _He knew it wasn't right for him to think this way (somewhere in the back of his mind), but he didn't, and he simple stated that he could not help his own thoughts.

Riku yawned as he lay down on his bed. He grabbed his blue pillow and held on to it tightly, before a quiet knock at the door began to bother him.

"Go away," he mumbled. "I'm tired."

"Riku, I came here to say I'm sorry."

Riku's eyes snapped open. "Axel, you bastard!" He stood up and ran to the door, he then proceeded to chase the redhead who was running for his now endangered life.

"Riku, don't kill your best friend," his mother warned.

"This stinkin' bastard? He is NOT my friend, Mom!"

She shrugged his shoulders. "You still can't kill him, dear."

"Why not?" he shouted.

She set down her cup of tea and flashed her sky blue eyes at him dangerously. "Because I said so."

Riku began to quiver. He then patted Axel on the back (a bit harder than Axel would have liked, truth be told), then brought him up the stairs and walked down the hall, back to where his room was. He threw Axel in and closed the door behind them. "Go ahead. Apologize."

Axel grumbled under his breath. "I'm sorry for how I acted at school today and got you in so much trouble because of it."

Riku nodded his head. "Hmph. Thanks for the apology, Axel."

Axel's emerald eyes lit up and he looked up at Riku. "Was it true that I heard Sephy's voice down there?"

Axel had a hand around his throat suddenly. "If you mention that name again, I will kill you," he threatened.

"_Guh-eez_." Axel shook his head. "Fine. I won't. Sheesh." The hand around his neck let go. Axel rubbed his sore neck. "So, Riku, when do you have to help out with the orphanage, anyway?"

"Tomorrow," he mumbled. "I thought I wouldn't have to start until Monday. This sucks," he complained.

Axel grinned. "Come on, Riku. It'll be nice to give to others."

"I don't see _you_ giving," Riku pointed out.

Axel smirked evilly. "Oh, I am. I'm giving mysel—"

"Shut your mouth," he warned.

Axel arched an eyebrow. "Do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "Must you always be so cruel?"

"Yes."

Axel sighed once more. "Am I still your best friend?"

"Yes."

"Goody!" Axel cheered while pumping a fist in the air.

"That doesn't mean I like you, though."

Axel let his hand fall. "You really are mean, Ri."

"Don't call me that!" he snapped. "It's bad enough Sephiroth calls me that."

"Aww, but it sounds so cute." Axel gave Riku puppy dog eyes.

Riku grimaced. "You're such a freak, Axel."

"Don't I know it."

Riku smacked a hand to his head. "You admit it," he said as he shook his head.

"'Course I do. Just like _you_ admit that you're cocky."

"I do?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I decided long ago that you are cocky and admit it. Otherwise you wouldn't go about the way you do, Ri."

"What do you mean "the way I go about"? And don't call me that!" Riku shouted.

"Oh, maybe I should get Sephy and Selphie to come over. Maybe we can all have a tea par—"

* * *

I am sorry about how it cut off there for you. It was far too violent for our eyes to see. Never get Riku angry. Ever. _Ahem_, it was now nighttime. The sky was completely dark, except for the stars and bright moon that decided to come out to keep us company.

The air was cold, and there was some snow left that hadn't melted yet. Mainly on the stairs and rooftops. And where was our little hero, Riku? On the roof, actually-the snowy roof with his special, blue scarf. He exhaled, seeing his breath float into the air as if it were smoke. He walked over to where he kept a blanket for himself. He picked it up and flung the snow off of it. He then placed it back down in place.

He lay down on the blanket, and then began to look up at the stars. His aquamarine eyes blinked several times, his thoughts wondering to how something so beautiful could even exist on this cruel earth. The breath hitched in his throat as he saw a shooting star. Now _that_ was an incredible sight. Simply...stunning. Words could not describe how wondrous and beautiful it was, even if the words tried with all their might.

Riku let out a soft sigh and crossed his arms behind his head, his silver hair falling around his pale face. It was funny, whenever he was up here, he felt very calm and relaxed. Real life just sped by so fast and was so loud sometimes, it was really hard to keep track. Up here...you didn't really have to worry about anything.

He saw a particularly bright star. He stared at it intensely, wondering why it was brighter than the rest.

"Why do others get to shine while others stay in the shadows?" he asked quietly. His questioned remained unanswered.

It got colder, and he wrapped his dark blue scarf tighter around his neck. He shivered slightly. It was marvelously beautiful, but very cold, too. He smiled, not wanting to go back inside just yet. He heard footsteps; he knew to whom they belonged. Before they got to even speak, he said, "Just one more minute, Mom."

She smiled. "Of course."

Riku smiled as he heard her footsteps fade. She came out here whenever he came out here. Sometimes she would even join him and they would get in some really fantastic conversations. Like...it seemed like they really connected up here. Maybe it was because Riku let himself be free whenever he was on this roof? Why did he feel free? He just did, really.

Maybe...it was because it was so calm and quiet; no one else was usually around. No school, no fangirls, no teachers, no Axel, no Sephiroth, no _noise_. Absolutely nothing. Well...except for the beauty of the stars, of course. With one last small smile, Riku stood up and picked up his blanket. It was getting awfully cold after all, and he didn't want her to freeze.

Yes, _her_.

Riku walked down the stairs and let the wooden door fall down as he entered his room. It was quite convenient how his room was connected to the stairs to the roof. Especially since he was the main one that went up there.

Riku was seventeen years old, his brother twenty-two, and their mother actually wasn't that much older than they. And she certainly looked their age, as well. So Riku and Sephiroth were five years apart...not that much of a difference, really. But to Riku, it was a huge difference.

Before deciding to go to bed, Riku opened his door a crack, and listened. There were no noises. He opened the door and went out, and walked down the lengthy hall. He thought he heard noises; he ceased movement. The noises stopped. He began to walk further down the hall until he got to the staircase. He heard the noises again. His ears perked up when he heard his name.

"Mother, how do you handle Riku?" he heard a voice ask.

"Sephiroth," Riku muttered. "What is that bastard up to now?"

"A better question would be how did I handle _you_, Sephy," he heard another say.

Riku grinned. "Right on the target, Mom."

"You know what I mean," Sephiroth persisted.

She sighed. "Yes...yes I do. Honestly, I don't what I am going to do, Seph. It's just like...the little boy I used to know, and the one who I raised, is slowly slipping away before my own eyes. And I can't even do anything about it. I signed him up to help out with the orphanage, hoping it would help him to grasp the greater things in life better. But he's just so—"

Riku turned his head away, wishing what he was hearing wasn't coming from his own mother's mouth.

"—Riku-like," she finished.

Sephiroth stopped making the braid in his hair and stared at his mother with those intense aquamarine eyes he had, which were just like Riku's, by the way. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, even though Riku may not have turned out how I thought he would, I honestly wouldn't change him for the whole world," she smiled brightly as she answered.

Sephiroth returned the smile. "You are so wise, Mother."

Riku turned his head away, his eyes slightly moist. He pursed his lips and then stood up, heading back to his room. "Thank you, Mom." He walked back down the hall silently, forcing the tears not to fall. He wouldn't cry. He would _not_ cry!

Once he got to his room, he closed the door softly behind him. Even though he didn't want it to happen, a tear slipped out. And soon, more tears fell silently and hit the hard, cold ground. For most of the reason, he didn't even know why he was crying so much. It could have been about what his mother had said, but no...that wasn't the entire reason. Partially, yes, but not entirely.

Maybe it was because he was sad how his life had turned out... But why would he think that? Anyone in their right mind would give anything to be Riku Sugisaki! He was popular, hot, smart, rich, who _wouldn't_ want to be him? Everyone did. Except for Riku _himself_.

His head was covered with a pillow, hoping that maybe it would make the tears go away. But for some peculiar reason, they just wouldn't stop. Riku had rarely ever cried in his entire life, but when he did, he just couldn't stop. That's how it was sometimes, though. Well, his mother always said that, anyway.

_"Riku, don't worry. Go ahead and cry. It's all right. Sometimes it's just better to cry it out, y'know? I mean, isn't it better to let it out in a big cry, then keep all that sadness bottled up inside?"_ **(2)**

Riku heard the door crack open. He prayed with all his might that it wasn't that damn Sephiroth... And when he heard those quiet footsteps, that seemed as if they were gliding on air, he knew for sure that it was not

"Why are you crying?" she asked.

Riku did not answer her; he only continued to cry. Her frown deepened as she walked over to the crying boy and wrapped her arms around him. "Riku, you and Sephiroth are all I have. And I love you with all my heart, I have never, _ever_ been more proud of you in my life."

Riku continued to cry, but managed to speak. "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you. No one could ever want someone like me for a son. I'm so haughty and arrogant and cocky." It was like he was completely blocking out the words his mother had just spoken.

"_I_ do," she said, attempting a smile. She tugged on his arm, wanting to see his face. He turned around, tears filling his aquamarine eyes. Her smiled deepened. "Go ahead and cry it out, Ri. It's just better to cry it out sometimes. Believe me, I know."

He threw his arms around her as he cried out, "Mom!" He had never loved her so much in his life. The same for she. He continued to cry, until all the tears were gone. Once she wiped his face, she walked over to the door and smiled.

"You better get to sleep now, you have a big day tomorrow."

Riku groaned. She smirked. "Don't just think because of this you're going to get out of volunteering." She opened the door and was almost fully gone when a soft voice called her back. "Yes?"

Riku mumbled an answer, and she smiled. "Of course." She shut the door and walked back to where her son lay. She slipped off her shoes and joined him in his bed. He turned to her and smiled sadly. She smiled back warmly, ruffling his hair.

"Once upon a time there was a boy who lived completely alone in a dark castle. He had been banished there by the wicked Queen. He thought he was simply a poor servant, who deserved no better. But in reality, he was the Prince to the kingdom, and she was just an old witch. One day, a fairy slipped in through..."

Riku's mother was simply the best storyteller in the whole world. End of discussion. She never used old stories, made by other people. She always made up her own unique ones. And she always remembered them, word for word, too. Riku was simply amazed, in all honesty.

* * *

Sadly, before Riku's mother had even finished the story yesterday, he had fallen asleep. She had kissed his forehead gingerly before silently leaving. She had smiled warmly down at her second child, with the utmost love anyone could even posses.

But now, she had gotten rid of her sensitive side, and decided Riku needed a big wake-up call to send him off on his grand volunteering day. If he slept for much longer, after all, he would have to miss breakfast to make it in time to get to the orphanage.

How did she wake him up?

It is rather brutal, in all honesty. But I have skipped enough of this little story, so I shall tell you it, anyway.

So, she had gotten a whole box of string, duct tape, pulled out a cream pie, gotten a drum and two wooden spoons, a CD player with one of Guns n' Roses' CD's on the highest volume, and lastly, a bucket of ice cold water.

It was rather painful to explain her plan, but I have already promised to tell you. Let the madness begin.

Riku was lying there, sleeping tranquilly as his mother tiptoed in with a box of string and duct tape. First, she tied Riku's hands together, and then did the same with his feet. And of course, she then taped his mouth. She then ran to go get the cream pie, CD player, drum, spoons, and water. She set them by the side of his bed. First, she set the pie on the left side of his bed. She then turned on the CD player, but as she did this with one hand, she picked up the water with the other hand.

As she turned on the CD and poured the water over Riku's body, she yelled, "Wake up, my sweet darling!" She then grabbed the drum and spoons, and began banging and banging and _banging_. She grinned like a little child; so excited about what was about to happen.

Riku's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. Undeniable rage was filled in his eyes; and that rage was only for one person on the entire planet: Kazumi Sugisaki. He attempted to scream her name and how he was going to kill her, as he watched her there, continuing to beat the drum. That's when he then realized tape was covering his mouth. His eyes narrowed further.

He turned his tied feet to the left of his bed, and struggled to hop out. He smirked once he landed, until he realized what he had landed in. His eyes widened, and you could hear the muffled scream coming from under the tape. His mother fell to the floor, laughing uncontrollably.

Riku continued to screech at her, but every one of his cries remained unheard because of that stupid tape. _She is soooo dead when I manage to get out of this,_ he thought with sweet revenge on his mind. He hopped up out of the pie, and continued to hop to the open door. Thank goodness she had left it open.

He continued to hop down the hallway, getting cream pie and droplets of water all over their nice carpet. Riku didn't care if his mother had to buy a new carpet; it was her own damn fault for this, after all. He made it all the way down the hall, and once he made it to the stairs, his eyes widened. _I would DIE if I went down there,_ he thought with a grimace. He then heard his saving grace.

"Oh, Riku!_There_ you are!"

Riku turned to his brother with the utmost fake affection any one person could ever have-his eyes were practically bleeding it. He smiled under the tape that covered his mouth. _I hate you with all my guts, but get me out of this fucking disaster,_ he thought.

"Riku, you need my help?" Sephiroth asked with a raised eyebrow. Riku nodded his head. Sephiroth then went over and untied Riku's hands. Riku instantly untied his feet with his now free hands and then ripped the tape off his mouth.

"She is _so_ dead!" He then began to run back to his room, only to be pulled back by a lock of his silver hair. His eyes grew very dark as he turned around to see his cruel, cruel brother.

"What the hell are you doing?" screeched Riku.

"Helping Mom live," he answered.

Riku was silent as he fumed. Soon, his anger meter had gone down from ten to six. He gritted his teeth. "Will you let go of my hair?" he asked, still trying to keep his temper down.

"Oh, but, Riku, it's _so_ much fun!" Sephiroth still let go, anyway. Riku was beginning to sneak off to kill his mother, until Sephiroth said, "Go and eat your breakfast, you'll be late for work!"

"Work," Riku scoffed. But he did turn around and began to trudge down the stairs. "They'll pay. Oh, they'll pay."

* * *

Riku silently fumed as he stuffed pancakes into his mouth, although his anger meter had now dropped down to a four. Although, if his mother or Sephiroth came around him, that level had a high chance of rising. And on top of all this...he still had to help out with the orphanage! He thought that after he and his mother had gotten along so well last night, that maybe she would let him off the hook, but that simply was not the case.

He sighed before he grabbed the pitcher of orange juice and poured himself another glass. The white door swung open to reveal...Axel! Riku hung his head. He began muttering, "Do not get angry. Do not get angry. Do NOT get angry!"

"Yo, Riku, I thought I'd drop by before you got shipped out," said Axel as he grinned.

"What are you really here for, Axel?" asked Riku.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about, dearest Riku?"

Riku sighed. "You know what I mean."

"No, not really," Axel corrected. He laughed. "Okay, okay. I just wanted to tell you you wouldn't be alone in this whole 'help the orphanage thing or my mom will kill me' thing."

Riku furrowed his brows together. "What do you mean?"

"What I _mean_ is, is that my Mom apparently signed me up for it, too. But I don't have to help out 'til next Monday."

Riku's ears perked up at this. "You mean you're going to be helping out at the same orphanage as I am?"

"No, a different one," Axel answered.

"Thank you, God," said Riku as he looked to the ceiling.

Axel punched him slightly on his arm. "You don't have to be so mean about it, Ri."

"I know, but you just made my life a hell of a lot easier. And _don't_ call me that." Riku stood up and patted Axel on the back. "I thank you for that, Axel," he said before heading to the door.

Axel grinned as the door swung back as Riku exited. "No problem, Riku."

Riku was just about to head out the door when a bag was flung down from the top of the stairs. He turned around and stared at it.

"What's my backpack doing here?" he asked.

"You'll need it," she answered.

Riku raised an eyebrow, worrying about what else his mother had planned for him. "Why?"

"_Because_, Riku dear," she started out in a sweet voice, "you are going to be living in the orphanage."

Riku arched an eyebrow. "Are you putting me up for adoption?"

"No—"

"Then how the hell could you do this to me?"

"Riku, it would be easier for to help out if you—"

She stopped speaking when she heard the door slam shut. The backpack was gone. She smirked as she crossed her arms. She chuckled and then shook her head. "He'll never learn," she said before she walked away, to go pick on her other son.

* * *

Riku was not _silently_ fuming as he walked down the street, backpack slung on his left shoulder, he was doing quite loudly, to be honest. He threw his hands up in the air, and muttered curses. People stared; he didn't care. Well...maybe a little bit...

"What the hell are you staring at?"

Everyone quickly turned their heads away. Riku resumed ranting as he continued to walk down the icy sidewalk. Riku thought maybe it wouldn't be _that_ bad to help out with the orphanage, after thinking over it for quite some time...but to live there! ARGH! Yes, he knew he shouldn't, but he still couldn't help about thinking how _poor _it must be there; nothing like his own, comfortable house. He didn't want to be some snot-faced brat, but he honestly couldn't get it out of his thoughts.

Riku felt like such a terrible person; he was nothing like his Mom or his Dad at all...

_Riku shuffled his feet as he watched his father scribble on different papers. Mr. Sugisaki looked up from his paper and took off his glasses. He smiled. "What is it, Riku?"_

_"I just missed you, Daddy," the small boy answered. He continued to shuffle his feet back and forth as he looked down at the ground._

_"Come here," said Mr. Sugisaki as he held out his arms._

_Riku slowly looked up. He smiled and ran to his father, leaping into his lap and throwing his arms around him. "I love you, Daddy!"_

_The man laughed and smiled. "Easy there, Ri."_

...and he never could be someone as good as they.

Riku continued to walk down the sidewalk, when he suddenly felt like something was missing... He furrowed his brows together. Another cold wind blew across, and he noticed his neck was very, very cold...

His eyes widened. "Gack! My scarf!" He threw his backpack off his shoulder as he felt like he was going to hyperventilate. "Where is it?" He then knelt down and began to search through his backpack like mad. He had pulled everything out. And it wasn't anywhere...

"Riku! Riku!" he heard a voice call. He slowly turned his head around. "You forgot your special scarf!"

It was his mom. She was completely out of breath, and her silver hair was blowing wildly in the wind. She finally caught up with Riku, and knelt down beside him. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, Riku. I hope you weren't too cold."

Riku kept his head looking down at the ground, but grabbed his mother's hands and held onto the scarf. "Thanks for everything, Mom."

She patted his hand and let the scarf slip into his hands. She then stood up, and walked away, waving goodbye. But before completely out of sight, turned around and yelled, "Don't get killed by the little kids at the orphanage, Riku!" And _then_ she was out of sight.

Riku groaned again, his mother giving him another reason to hate volunteering. But he quickly wrapped his scarf around his neck, instantly feeling warm again. _That was a close call, _he thought. He put all the contents back into his backpack, blushing as he stuffed in his boxers. He zipped it up and then threw it over his left shoulder again.

He put his hands in his pockets and continued to walk down the sidewalk. His anger meter had now dropped down to a three. Which, a few moments ago, it was at a seven. Quite an impressive drop, if I do say so myself.

He saw the orphanage wasn't that far ahead. He sighed in relief. Not because he was glad he had found it, but he was glad to be out of the bitter cold. He looked at his watch; it was 10:54. His Mom told him he was supposed to be there by 11:00, he was right on time.

A brutal wind blew by, blowing his scarf viciously. Riku closed his eyes and breathed in the beautiful air. He let out a soft sigh. He opened his eyes, took a few more steps, he turned to his right, and there it was. The orphanage.

Riku gulped when he looked at it. It was even worse than he had expected. The whole appearance...was absolutely dreadful. The building was the ugliest shade of brown he had ever seen. A few of the windows had cracks-and they were taped badly to try and keep the wind out, apparently. And then there was the door—the door he would have to enter in a few moments.

He looked down at his watch again, it was 10:59. Riku gulped again. He gripped the strap of his backpack tighter. He clenched his eyes shut and began to walk up the small set of stairs. Each step seemed to take him an hour. Once all the way up, he slowly stretched out his hand and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a spiky-haired blond opened the old door. He looked Riku up and down. "Riku Sugisaki?"

Riku slowly nodded his head, gulping again.

The blond smiled. He opened the door and motioned for Riku to follow. "Follow me."

"A-all right," said Riku before he followed the blond in timidly.

This was the start...of a very sucky December.

* * *

**1** - Chicken is like my favorite food—and that is my reaction to it. –Laugh- So I made Riku be the same.

**2** Meh. I always say that to people—because I always feel that way. That whole scene really sucked, though, hope you all don't hate me for it. T-T

**Next chapter:** Riku meets the children in the orphanage, including the "special" one, Tarzan gets a tan, and Riku is forced to play hide and go seek.

When I was writing this, I kept imagining Sephy as Ayame from Fruits Basket. Haha. I even made him braid his hair. xD Well, please **review**, and tune in next time on AUG! (Hehe. That's the beginning of my birth month-August.)


	2. Tarzan's Got a Tan

Gee, I wanted to update sooner...well, this sucks. T.T I still have my goal, though. I shall finish this fic by Christmas day if it kills me! Although...hopefully it won't. Oh, and thanks for the awesome reviews. Much love and cookies for all. :) We meet Sora in this chapter! -Squeals-

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to em help /em them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** -Laughs- Me? Own Kingdom Hearts? Maybe in my dreams. xD –Goes to sweet dreamland-

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews** Ah! Thanks so much for all the reviews, people! You all are too kind. –Bows- Keep 'em comin', and the chapters will keep coming, too. ;)

**A/N:** Okay, here we go again... If I'm lucky, the next chapter will be out in about three days or so. I already have it written out, but I haven't checked it for errors yet and I have no time on my hands with the Christmas ice show and my skating test coming up this weekend. -Crosses fingers hoping she'll do well and still be able to finish the story on time-

**Riku**: She'll never make it on time...

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 2. Tarzan's Got a Tan

-o-

_"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks."_ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

As soon as Riku had entered the building, he knew his life had been changed forever. How long was he supposed to help out with the orphanage, anyway? Until Christmas Eve, that was when. That meant twenty-three days in this hellhole.

Riku followed the blond down the hallway. He heard no noise; he saw no one. What the...? Was anyone even _in_ here? Besides him and the spiky blond dude, of course. Riku was startled when the blond suddenly spoke.

"Some of the youngest children are still sleeping," he spoke quietly. "But the rest have already had their breakfast and are back in their rooms. They're just up these steps," he said, beginning to already climb the set of stairs.

Riku quietly followed the blond up the staircase, or at least attempted to. Each step creaked every time Riku set a foot on it, and it felt as if they were going to fall out beneath him. Thankfully, they didn't, but it still felt like they were going to.

Finally, the blond and Riku made it up the creaky steps, and then they walked down another small hall, until they made it to a door. Before they entered, though, the blond introduced himself, "I'm Cloud Strife."

Riku nodded his head. "I'm Riku Sugisaki."

Cloud smiled before he quietly opened the door.

Riku smacked a hand to his forehead. Of _course_ this guy knew his name! His mom had already told them that! Geez, he was an idiot!

"These are where the children from babies to three sleep." The door was cracked open, and Riku looked inside, his eyes shifted back and forth, amazed at how many small children and babies were quietly sleeping inside.

The door was shut quietly, and Cloud walked further down the hallway. He said, "This is where the children from the ages of four to eight sleep." He opened the door, and Riku peered in. All the children were playing happily, and there was an older girl in there. She had raven hair. Cloud smiled when he saw Riku staring at her.

"That's Yuffie," he explained. "She helps out here along with Leon, Aerith, Reno, Kadaj, and myself." He turned towards Riku. "You're the only who signed up to volunteer here right now. I'm quite thankful. Things can get quite hectic around the holidays, so we need all the help we can get."

Riku nodded his head. Cloud then opened the door and they walked inside. Yuffie grinned when she saw Cloud with their new helper. She stood up, patting a little girl's head.

"Is this Riku?" she asked, not being able to hold back the wide grin on her face.

Cloud looked down at Riku, then he looked back up at Yuffie. He nodded his head.

She ran over to Riku hugged him to death. "Oh, you're so cute!"

Riku growled as the girl hugged him, but thankfully she let go soon, or else she probably wouldn't be among the living any longer.

She then turned to Cloud. "Have you shown him around the entire orphanage yet, Cloudy-pants?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Then you better hurry!" She ran back to the little blonde girl. "'Cause I've got some great games planned for all of us!"

Cloud laughed. "All right, Yuff, I'll hurry up." He then motioned for Riku to follow him out the door, Riku threw Yuffie one last evil glare; she only stuck out her tongue and smirked. His eyes widened as his mouth was left agape. The nerve of that girl! Hmph!

He followed Cloud back out to the hall. Cloud walked a few more steps, and then turned to the door on the right. "This is where all the other children sleep. All the ones the age of nine and above, that is." He then opened the door, and Riku peered in. Cloud opened the door wider, and then the two stepped through the door.

When Riku looked around, many children were playing, some weren't, and even a few were sleeping. This room had the most children; that was pretty obvious.

_Well_, Riku thought, _I suppose not that many people want older children _.

Cloud smiled at all the children when they yelled his name. He turned to Riku. "This is where you'll be spending most of your time. Actually, since you'll be staying here, you are going to sleep in here. This is the only room where we have an extra bed." Cloud took a breath, after saying all of that. He then said, "Would like to meet all of them?"

Riku shrugged his shoulders, but was slightly grimacing. He had to stay in _here_? It was absolutely filthy! (It really wasn't-but Riku is being snobbish Riku again.)

Riku slowly followed Cloud, as he introduced him to all of the teenagers and children. Riku attempted to remember all the names._ All right_, he thought. _So there's Kairi, Pence, Ollete, Hener? Or was is Hiner? Gah, screw this_!

Riku looked around at the children, he then spotted someone lying in a bed, looking at a window that let sunshine pour into the room.

"Who's that?" Riku asked.

Cloud turned to look at the person Riku was motioning towards. "Oh, that's Sora..." He paused before he spoke again. "Sora is...very special."

Riku rose an eyebrow at this, turning back to face Cloud. "What do you mean, special?"

But Riku's question remained unanswered, for at that very second, Yuffie barged through the door, several of the younger children right behind her.

She started dancing and grooving as she went over to Riku and Cloud, she then sang out, "It is time...for a SONG!"

All the children cheered. Riku glanced nervously back and forth. What kind of a place was he in? It was soooo weird.

Yuffie rubbed her chin, walking back and forth. The children watched her with eager eyes. Riku looked at the raven-haired girl in a puzzled matter. Why did they like her so much? She seemed like a freak to him, anyway.

"Hm. Hm. Hmm. What song should we sing?" She stopped pacing, her face lighting up. "How about...'Tarzan's Got a Tan'!"

All the children cheered, Riku looked even more confused. "Tarzan's Got a Tan"? What kind of screwed up song was that? He crossed his arms and looked around for the only sane person in this room: Cloud. But he was nowhere to be seen. _Oookay_, he thought. _People just randomly disappearing. I'll love it here, I'm sure._ But Riku was startled out of his thoughts when Yuffie began to sing, all the children repeating every line after her.

_"Tarzan!_

_Swinging from a rubber band_

_Tarzan!_

_Crashed into a frying pan_

_Don't that hurt?_

_Now Tarzan's got a tan_

_And I hope it doesn't peel_

_Like a banana!"_

Riku's eyes widened, he was now absolutely horrified. He had not been sent to an orphanage, he had been sent to an insane asylum! He ran to an empty bed, and curled himself up into a ball.

_"Jane!_

_Was flying in a jet plane_

_Jane!_

_Crashed into a weather vane_

_Don't that hurt?_

_Now Jane's got a pain_

_And Tarzan's got a tan_

_And I hope it doesn't peel_

_Like a banana!"_

Riku attempted to cover his ears, but the next thing he knew, a hand touched his shoulder. His eyes widened when he realized it was the singing Yuffie. She gave him a death glare so evil and deadly, that Riku knew it meant, "If you don't sing right now, you can consider yourself dead."

Riku grumbled something under his bed, but quietly sang along with everyone else. Gah, this song sucked.

_"Cheetah!_

_Was running on a pizza_

_Cheeta!_

_Burned his little feet-a_

_Don't that hurt?_

_Now Cheetah is Velveeta_

_Now Jane's got a pain_

_And Tarzan's got a tan_

_And I hope it doesn't peel_

_Like a banana!"_

Okay...Tarzan ran into a frying pan, Jane crashed into a weather vane, and now a monkey was Velveeta. This song made _so_ much sense!

_"Shamu!_

_Was swimming in the ocean blue_

_Shamu!_

_Crashed into a big canoe_

_Don't that hurt?_

_Now Shamu's feeling blue_

_Now Cheetah is Velveeta p_

_Now Jane's got a pain p_

_And Tarzan's got a tan_

_And I hope it doesn't peel_

_Like a banana!"_**(1) **

Everyone repeated the last line several times, getting louder and louder and louder each time. Riku groaned as the song finished. He collapsed onto a bed, a blank expression on his face.

"I'm in Hell," he said. "I'm in Hell. It's the only explanation. You know...no sane human being could stand such torture."

All the children cheered, exactly the opposite of Riku, and then Yuffie bounced over to Riku, Cloud beside her. "Soooo...what do you think we leave Riku alone so he can get to know them even better?" Yuffie asked Cloud, but as he was opening his mouth to object, she grabbed him and said, "That's exactly what I thought you'd say." She then dragged him out the door, and slammed it shut.

Riku's eyes widened. Alone...with these little monsters? Okay, first of all, he couldn't stand his brother, and he couldn't stand most people at school. Well...Axel was somewhat an exception, although he still did get on his nerves. But...but being alone with all these children? Ohhh, he swore that freak Yuffie would pay. Oh, yes, she would.

Riku sat up on the bed, pulling his knees to his chest and looking down, hoping all the children and teens would simply ignore him. But that wasn't the case.

"What's your name?" asked a young girl, tugging on a lock of Riku's silver hair.

He growled slightly, pursing his lips together. He lifted his head and stared down at the girl. She only giggled. "You're funny," she said. "My name's Rikku."

Riku arched an eyebrow at this. "Nice to meet you, Rikku. My name's Riku," he introduced himself, although his tone wasn't the nicest in the world...

The girl laughed. "Hehe. You're so silly. _My_ name's Rikku, not yours."

Riku was now getting slightly irritated, so he then said, not hiding his irritated tone, "How do you spell it?"

"R-I-K-K-U," she answered.

"Well, I spell it with only one K. See? My name is Riku, now leave me alone, Rikku."

But this only made her laugh again. She tugged on Rikku's hair again. He grabbed her wrist as his face shot up. But before Riku told her off, he was distracted by something else. There was another girl, she had brown hair, and had one green eye and one blue. She hopped onto Riku's back. "Give me a piggy back ride!"

Riku stood up, dropping the girl on the bed. "No."

"Pleeeaaase," she said so sweetly, Riku cringed.

"No," he said again.

"But you must," she insisted.

"No, I won't," he said back, much more dangerously this time. His eyes were flashing like fire. He hated his mother right now...with all his had signed him up for this torture chamber. It was all her fault. But he was only thankful for one thing: This meant that he wouldn't have to see his mother or Sephiroth for quite some time. That was the only thing he was thankful for.

And just as the girl was about to say something, Rikku came back again, with another girl with gray-ish/silver hair and red eyes. She looked quite pissed, maybe even more than Riku was...

"Let's all play...hide and go seek!" Rikku suggested, smiling widely.

All the children cheered, even the teens seemed excited about this. Riku looked back at the brunet staring out the window. He furrowed his brows together. Why was he so "_special"_? And why was he still in his bed? But Riku didn't get to think anymore on the subject, because Rikku grabbed him and told him to close his eyes and count to 100, because he was the seeker.

Riku grumbled at this, but gave in. He knew that little Rikku would get him to play no matter what, and he didn't want to keep getting pestered about it, either. He glanced back at the brunet once more, he had hadn't moved in the slightest, and he hadn't even taken a glance away from the window. It were as if...he didn't even know anyone else was there. But Riku shook his head, closing his eyes and beginning to count to 100.

* * *

"1...15...29...36...48...57...64...72...89...91...100. Ready or not, here I come!" Riku shouted, he then looked around the room. Oh, my gosh. Don't tell me he had to find every last. single kid from four to teen? He groaned at that thought.

But when he spotted a braid of blonde hair, he grinned evilly. Oh, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all. He quietly sneaked over to where the blonde hair was and pounced. He immediately heard giggling. It was, in fact, Rikku.

"Gotcha!" Riku said, grinning widely.

"Ahh, you got me!" She stood up, now standing by Riku's side. "Want to go find the others?"

Riku nodded his head, his mood only swaying slightly. He was still grumpy from the evil raven-haired girl Yuffie, no doubt about that.

But after Riku and Rikku had found all the children in this one room, they all left to go find the others that could have hidden in any other room. And as all the children and teens left, the brunet boy turned his head toward the door, ever so slightly. He then slowly moved it back to the window.

* * *

Once all the children and teenagers had been found, it was already time for lunch. Thankfully, Riku's mother had packed Riku a delicious lunch. He was quite thankful for that, even thought the other children's food looked good, no one could cook like his mom.

So once he had finished his lunch, most of the other children were still eating. If not, they were playing happily, forgetting Riku for now.

A brunette with a long braid walked over to Riku, she looked very sweet, he noted. She had a tray of food in her hands. She smiled as she said, "You're Riku, right?"

Riku furrowed his brows together. "Uhh...yeah."

"It's very nice to meet you," she said, smiling further. "I'm Aerith. Umm...would you mind giving Sora his lunch? I have to go feed the youngest children now, and," she turned her head to where a redhead and silver-haired boy were playing with the other children, "everyone else is busy." She then looked to where Cloud and another brunet were; they seemed to be in a heated discussion.

Riku paused, thinking this over. He was really wondering who those other three guys were... "Uhh...yeah. Sure. But...which one's Sora?" Although Cloud had already told him which one he was earlier, Riku had completely forgotten it now.

"He's up the stairs, in the second door on the right. You can't miss him." She then handed the tray of food to him.

Riku nodded his head, taking the tray of food. "All right." Aerith smiled as Riku walked away towards the stairs.

Once Riku had made it up the stairs, he went in the second door on the right. He slowly cracked the door open, it creaking as he did so, and then went inside. He looked around back and forth, and then he spotted the brunet on the bed. Ah, now he remembered. That Sora kid...was the one that was "special".

Riku slowly walked over to the brunet boy, he still didn't turn to look at Riku. Riku wondered what the hell was up with this kid...but he wasn't rude enough to ask, that was for sure.

"Are you Sora?" he asked, even though he already knew he was.

The boy didn't look at Riku, but after a moment's hesitation, he slowly nodded his head. Riku furrowed his brows and frowned, he then shook his head slightly. "I'm Riku," he introduced, actually trying to sound happy and not so cruel for once. Yes, it was quite a shock.

But the boy said nothing in return. Riku was about to tell him off, when the brunet finally turned his head to Riku. That was when their eyes finally had the chance to meet. Riku was quite stunned, to say the least. He had blue eyes; very blue eyes-such a blue he had never seen eyes that color before. _They're perfect_, he found himself thinking. He shook his head, closing his eyes. When he looked back, the brunette had already turned back toward the window. Riku frowned at this. He then said, "I brought your breakfast."

Then the brunet said something, but Riku wasn't able to catch it. "What?" he said.

"Thank you," the brunet repeated, but it was still barely even a whisper. Riku gave Sora the tray and the brunet took it. Riku couldn't bring himself to walk back to the door. He actually stayed there, still staring at Sora, for about ten to fifteen minutes. But Sora never ate any of his food.

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Riku.

The brunet shook his head solemnly. Riku frowned at this. He stared at Sora for a little while longer, who was still looking out the window, before he headed back to the door. But just then, Sora called out something; Riku didn't even hear what it was.

"What?" Riku asked, turning back to face Sora.

The brunet continued to look outside. "Nothing," he said.

But Riku walked back over to the brunet. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," the brunet replied. "Nothing at all." Sora was thankful when he heard footsteps. He figured that silver-haired guy was finally leaving. He was relieved. But then he heard another noise. Someone had sat on a bed.

He whipped his head around, only to see that Riku guy smirking and crossing his arms, now sitting on the bed next to him. Riku raised an eyebrow at Sora's stare. His smirk only grew. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what it is."

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but he dropped his head, and turned back to the window. He then said quietly, "I wondered if you'd help me."

Riku's ears perked up at this; this was interesting. "With what?" he asked.

But Sora did not answer. Instead, after a long time, he said, "But I really do wish you would leave me alone."

Riku found himself frowning sadly, he honestly didn't know why, though. He didn't even know anything about this Sora kid...except that he was considered "special". Why should he care if this boy seemed so sad? Riku didn't know why, but this Sora really interested him. But, he actually did leave. He stood up from the bed slowly, and walked back to the door. He hesitated, wondering whether to say goodbye or not. Eventually, he decided against it, and shut the door quietly behind him.

As soon as the door shut, Sora turned his head to look where Riku had just left. He blinked several times, with those beautiful blue eyes, but then he slowly craned his neck back to look at the window.

* * *

Riku slowly walked down the stairs, still puzzled by the whole thing involving Sora. Who was this kid? Why was he still in bed? Why was he so "special"? Why was he so quiet? Why did he seem so sad? And why did he have such beautiful blue eyes? Riku cursed himself for his last question.

When he made it down the stairs, Yuffie was there to greet him. He immediately started walking back up the stairs, only to be pulled down by her.

"Sooo...Rikuuu...would you like to meet the rest of our gang?"

Riku grumbled, but agreed. He did want to know whom else he would be living with, after all.

She grabbed a redhead by the collar. She then said, "This is Reno. He's crazy, so you'll have to learn to live with him." Reno smiled and waved, but then he was pushed out of the way, as Yuffie brought over the silver-haired boy. "And this is Kadaj, Reno's boyfriend." Riku perked up at this. Very..._interesting._

She then grabbed Riku's hand, dragging him to the kitchen. She pointed to the brunet, who was currently talking to Cloud. "And that's Leon. He's desperately in love with Cloud, but he doesn't even know it."

"Then how is he in love with him?"

Riku got conked on the head for that. His anger meter immediately rose to a ten. Oh, this surely was dangerous. Then Yuffie patted him on the head. His anger meter rose to 12. If it got up to fifteen...you wouldn't want to be in the same city (or country, for that matter) with Riku Sugisaki, that's for sure.

But Yuffie had now run off to the kitchen, jumping on Cloud's back, begging for a piggyback ride. She squealed when he actually did so. Riku stood there still, silently fuming, but his anger meter had now dropped to a 10. Thank heavens...maybe it would drop down all the way soon.

When Riku's anger meter had finally dropped down to a safe level, he walked back to the living room area. Several of the kids were playing there, toys were out, and some were actually sleeping on the couch. Riku grumpily sat in a chair, wanting to be left alone. But that obviously wasn't the case. For the next thing he knew, a redhead jumped in front of him, scaring the living daylights out of him.

"Shit!" Riku cursed.

The redhead tsked at Riku. "You shouldn't swear; there are children here, Riku."

Riku looked up at the demented redhead, ah, it was that Reno punk. The one that was...crazy. Riku took in a breath, and then said, "Hello."

Reno grinned at this. "How old are you, Riku?"

Riku didn't really feel like talking, but he was bored, so what the hell? "Seventeen," he answered.

Reno whistled. "Awesome. I feel so old compared to you."

Riku looked at Reno for a long moment. For some reason...he reminded him of someone. Someone that had red hair, and emerald eyes. Hmm...

Reno grinned at this. He then asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

Riku's anger meter rose slightly. What...was he being investigated or something? But still, he answered the question, anyway. "I have an older brother... And I hate him with my guts."

"That's nice," Reno said.

Riku looked at Reno as if he had grown a second head. He really did think he was in an insane asylum now.

"Are you straight?" Reno then asked.

Riku chocked out at this. What the hell was this guy's PROBLEM?

Reno's grin changed into a smirk. "Maybe a better question is, are you gay?"

Riku continued to choke on air; Reno patted his back. Soon, Riku recovered, and he shot that dumb Reno his death glare. Reno merely shook it off. He then said, "Not sure?"

Riku coughed into his hands. He then looked at Reno, and slowly nodded his head.

Reno nodded as well, smiling. "Well, I'll help you figure it out."

Just as Riku was about to pounce Reno, he jumped out of the way, and went to go tackle the other guy, Kadaj. Kadaj seemed to be getting just as annoyed with Reno as Riku was. Riku laughed. And they were supposed to be dating? Pssh.

Riku closed his eyes, relaxing back into his chair. He hoped the rest of the day would be easy. Well, it wasn't, but Riku honestly couldn't complain.

Riku learned things about the group of friends in charge of the orphanage that night. First and foremost, Cloud was a very nice person. He was the most sane person out all of them, too, that was for sure. He felt like he could actually talk to him without his anger meter rising. Now that other guy that Cloud was with all the time...Leon...Squall? He honestly wasn't sure what he was called. The guy also barely spoke a word, and he left Riku feeling cold. Riku actually shivered just thinking about him.

Reno was obviously the most insane person in this orphanage, no doubt. He kept asking Riku questions all night, and Riku got very annoyed at this. Finally, Cloud came to his rescue, telling Reno to relax and go chase Kadaj. Reno had listened to Cloud. Now Kadaj...Reno's boyfriend, he was pretty much sane, but he acted quite funky sometimes, too. He kept cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. He must have been a clean freak.

And...that Yuffie. Riku's eyes flared at the thought of her. She was out to kill Riku he swore it. She wanted him to be murdered by a bunch of five-year-olds; oh, he knew he was right. And...for some reason now, she had walked over to him, grinning like a cat who had just eaten a canary. **(2)**

"Sooo...Riku...how do you like it here?" she asked, sitting down next to him on the couch. They had just finished eating dinner. Riku thought it wasn't too bad. Kadaj was a really good cook.

"It's Hell," Riku answered, before he could catch himself. He covered his mouth, gasping slightly, worried what the Devil Woman Yuffie would do to him.

"Aw, you don't mean that," she said, scooting closer to Riku. Riku wasn't comfortable with how close she was.

Riku groaned, deciding it was better to shut his mouth than get hurt by Yuffie. He had already seen her beat up Reno and Cloud earlier. He swore she was pure evil. Hey...she reminded him of his mother and Sephiroth all rolled into one! Yep, she did.

"Well," she said, "why don't you play with the children a little bit before their bedtime? And also, I expect you to go to bed the same time the teens do. Got it?"

Riku nodded his head. He REALLY didn't like how close Yuffie was to him.

"Good," she said, grinning. She then stood up, leaving Riku alone. He grumpily crossed his arms and legs, wishing he could be home...

...Although, the thought of home wasn't all that nice, either. Riku settled for here. He'd take Yuffie and the other kids over his crazy mother and brother any day of the week. So, with a heavy sigh, he stood up and walked over to where the kids were currently playing. Yuffie, though, actually jumped on Riku's back, begging for a piggyback ride (she was simply obsessed!). He caved and ended up giving her one. Although, his anger meter was now at level 10.

Let me explain Riku's Anger Meter™ **(3)** to you. If Riku's Anger Meter™ reaches a certain level, you are in danger. And if it goes even beyond that level, your_ life_ is in danger. Here is Riku's Anger Meter™:

../\15 - If Riku's Anger Meter™ ever reaches this level, you are dead

/... \12 - It should never EVER go beyond this level

... ..10 - If it reaches this level, planet earth is in danger

... ..8 - You should run if the anger meter reaches this level

... ..6 - You should not let the anger meter reach this level or above

... ..4 - You are in slight danger if the meter reaches this level

... ..2 - You are safe if the meter is here

So, going by the anger meter, planet earth was currently in danger. But don't worry, the anger meter soon dropped to six, and finally went down to a two. Our dear planet was safe.

* * *

That night, when Riku was getting ready to go to bed, he looked over to that Sora kid. He was still looking out the window, looking to the beautiful night sky, filled with the bright moon and the shinning stars. He hadn't moved at all...in the slightest. Riku found this...very odd.

Well, they did say he was "special", whatever that meant. What was wrong with this Sora...anyway? Riku was very interested in the brunet, and he would not leave his thoughts.

Riku was just about to speak to the brunet, when something hugged his legs. He looked down; it was the other Rikku. She looked up at Riku, smiling brightly.

"G'night," she said, her emerald eyes twinkling.

Riku sighed, but he couldn't help returning the smile, even if it was very slight. "Riku here, saying good night to Rikku with two K's."

She giggled at this, squeezed his legs further in the hug, and then ran off to her bed, jumping into it. Riku shook his head, smiling. Yes, he hated it here, but...it wasn't all _that_ bad. Even if most people were crazy here, their hearts were in the right place...

Although...then I suppose you could say the same went for his mother and Sephy...never mind. Scratch the thought entirely. All crazy people _equals_ bad. I mean, come on...look at Selphie, for crying out loud! She was an absolute NUTCASE!

Everyone admitted it, including herself.

And right before Riku crawled into his bed, he glanced over at Sora again. He hadn't closed his eyes at all. It looked like he didn't even blink. Riku shook his head. Why was he so wound up over some punk kid who was "special"? Heh. He had better things to do...like sleep, for instance.

He wrapped his special blue scarf around his neck, since there wasn't enough heat in the room, and his blanket was quite thin, leaving him cold. It took Riku quite some time to fall asleep, and when he finally did drift off, all his dreams involved that kid Sora.

* * *

When Riku awoke, before all the other children, that is, he noted that Sora was still looking out at the window; he was already awake. Riku wondered if he had even slept at all. Riku rubbed at his eyes, he was still slightly sleepy. That bed he had slept in...was an absolute nightmare. He groaned, sitting up out of his bed. He got out his backpack from under his bed, grabbed a towel, a toothbrush, and a change of clothes.

He then headed off to the showers. Today...was going to be another long day.

* * *

Once Riku had finished getting dressed and cleaned up, he played with the children a little, but mainly kept to himself. After this, they all ate breakfast. Riku missed his mother's cooking. Even though Kadaj was a wonderful chef himself, no one could compete with his mom. End of discussion. And when Riku was sitting down on the couch, his thoughts trailed off to Sora again. Just then, Aerith brought a tray of food to Riku, asking him if he could take it to Sora. Of course he did.

When he knocked on the door and entered, he wasn't surprised to see him staring out the window again. Yes, nature was beautiful...but wouldn't it get a little boring, staring out there all the time? Did Sora think? Did he comprehend anything else was going on around him? Riku wondered, but his questions would remain unanswered.

He walked over to Sora, saying a kind hello. Sora nodded his head in response. Riku sighed. He said, "I brought your breakfast." Riku then added, "Kadaj's a really good chef."

Sora nodded his head. He said, "I know," very quietly.

Riku pursed his lips together. He got more and more curious about Sora every second. He handed Sora his food, Sora took it, and yet again, did not eat. After watching Sora a few moments, Riku turned to leave. "Have a good morning, Sora," he said.

Sora said nothing in return. Riku left quietly.

Just as the other day, as soon as Riku had left, Sora slowly turned his head to face where he had just left. "Riku..."

* * *

Once Riku was downstairs, he searched and searched for Cloud. Once he finally spotted him, he saw that he was wearing a skirt, and ribbons were in his hair. Riku began to laugh, covering his mouth with his hands. Before he could dare say anything, Cloud spat out, "Don't. Say. _**Anything.**_"

Riku stopped laughing, seeing Rikku run to get some make-up from Aerith. Oh, great.

Riku cleared his throat and said, "Cloud, what's the matter with Sora?"

Cloud sighed at this, removing a pink ribbon from his spiky blond hair. "Sora is very..."

"Special," Riku finished. "I know. But _why_ is he special?" Riku persisted.

Cloud opened his mouth, and then he shut it, rethinking. He sighed. "Sora...he's... He has no feeling in his legs at all. He's handicapped."

* * *

**1** - Crazy song my sister taught me. She's in college and once a week takes care of younger kids through this organization... They teach 'em funky songs—and that was one of them. I find it rather amusing. xD

**2** - You have no idea how much I loathe that phrase. My canary hates it too (his name is Lemondrop—I love him to death. XD But Yuffie looks like it a lot, in my opinion. ;)

**3** - Hehe. Riku's Anger Meter is so much fun. I have no idea where it came from, though.

**Next chapter:** Yuffie takes Riku Christmas shopping, Riku helps make lunch, and Riku gets just a li'l bit closer to Sora.

Okay, see you all next chapter! And don't forget to **review**!


	3. Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own

Oh...my gosh, I can't even look my readers/reviewers in the face. I feel so utterly ashamed. -.-' Well, it's been what, four...five months? Wow. I can't believe I'm actually updating this fic again—probably all who once read it forgot it by now. Well, you want an explanation? It's stupid, I know...

I just decided to forget about fics and yaoi all together; not only did I need more time (skating and getting our house ready to sell) but I just kind of...I dunno...lost interest? -.- Bah, who am I kidding? I still loved the stuff, but I gave up writing it anyway. Yeah, I know I'm stupid...

You want to know what's REALLY stupid, though? Is that I deleted all the fics I hadn't posted on here, and all future chapters of this story and my other fic. So, this isn't the original—it's got most of the same stuff in it, but it's not the same. Some things in it I like better, some I don't so much... Oh well, please don't hate me! -Sobs-

I guess that's all—and if everyone still wants me to continue this, I will. I'll try and have the next chapter posted in a week or so, but I'm not promising anything. Oh, yeah—and I'll get to my other fic, "I'll Be There for You" sometime, I just don't know when.

**Summary: **Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to help them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** C'mon, you know I don't own it. You don't have to rub it in my face. :( -Cries a thousand tears that form a river-

**Warning: **This fic will contain **shonen-a****i **(boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** You all are too kind. 18 reviews for one chapter—the most I've ever gotten! I love you all so much. So please come and read it again! You can hit me all you want for not updating earlier—I deserve it, honestly.

**A/N: **Okay, I know it's not Christmas anymore and everything—so this fic basically has no point anymore. Well, I probably wouldn't of made my deadline in time anyway. xD So...let's aim to finish before this Christmas, 'kay? I may even make more chapters than I had planned to before. xD Oh, and who can tell me where the title came from? It's a song title by my favorite band. Here's a hint: They're rock and they've been around for many years. Not much of a hint. xD If you guess correctly, I'll give you a giant cookie. :3

**Riku:** How dare you make me wait for four months to hook up with Sora? You shall feel my wrath, woman!

**Miss Star:** -Runs away screaming and hides behind Sora-

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 3. Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own

-o-

"_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._" - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Riku stopped laughing, seeing Rikku run to get some make-up from Aerith. Oh, great. Riku cleared his throat and said, "Cloud, what's the matter with Sora?

Cloud sighed at this, removing a pink ribbon from his spiky blond hair. "Sora is very...

"Special," Riku finished. "I know. But why is he special?" Riku persisted.

Cloud opened his mouth, and then he shut it, re-thinking. He sighed. "Sora...he's... He has no feeling in his legs at all. He's handicapped."

_No..._ Riku froze, not being able to process the thought at first. _No!_ he shouted in his mind. Riku wondered if he had heard Cloud clearly, but looking into Cloud's eyes again, he knew for sure he was not mistaken.

"H-how...?" Riku began to ask, but knew it wasn't right for him to pry into it. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again. "I don't feel well," he quietly said, before he ran back up the stairs.

_No! _he still kept repeating in thought. _I-i...it's not fair!_ He ran into the room where he slept, completely forgetting Sora was there for the moment (considering how upset he was, even if what he was upset about was Sora). He immediately headed into the bathroom when he entered the room. Sora's head snapped around at the sudden intrusion. When he heard the door slam shut, he stared at it for a long while, but eventually he let his gaze slip back to the outside world once again.

Now, back to Riku. He was still struggling with what he heard before, and he began to wonder why on earth he cared so much. After all, he had only met this boy yesterday. He honestly didn't even know any thing about him. So why…?

_Many people are handicapped or have other conditions similar. I feel bad for all of them...I really do. But why so much more for Sora...?_ Riku trailed off as he bit his lip before he leaned down at the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. All right. Maybe that would make him think correctly.

But Sora seemed **different**. He seemed special in a different way, not because he wasn't able to walk, but something else seemed different about him. Even the shyest person Riku had seen at school talked about ten times more than Sora did. Gee, Sora reminded Riku of Edward Scissorhands, barely spoke a word. **(1)**

_But why? _he asked himself again

Why didn't Sora talk? Was it honestly just because he did not like people? Was it because he was trapped in his own dream world in his head? Questions and possibilities raced through Riku's head, but he did not think any of them were right.

He felt like his brain was going to explode. His brain could not stop thinking, so many different things blurring and passing by in his head, and none of the thoughts lasting even long enough to make any sense.

Before thinking better of it, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed Axel's number. He just needed to talk to someone. Hear someone who made sense to him (even it was Axel...maybe it didn't make so much sense after all.) It rang once, and there was no answer.

Riku began to fume, narrowing his eyes. He began to lose it again while he waited for Axel to pick up the damn phone. _It's not fair for Sora..._ he thought yet again. It seemed like it was the only thing he could think of now. He dropped his head when it rang a third time, but suddenly, he heard the redhead's voice.

"Yo, Ri! How's it goin' man?" his over-excited voice came through.

Axel pulled the phone away from his ear. "Geez, Ri—ku," he quickly caught himself. "What the hell's got you in such a bad mood?

"_**I**_ am not in a bad mood!"

_Well, that's reassuring, _thought Axel sarcastically, with a roll of his eyes. "Okay, okay. Obviously I'm wrong. So, what's up?" he asked, hoping not to piss Riku off any more.

"I just..." Riku stopped, wondering why he had really called Axel in the first place. Axel knew nothing about Sora. He knew nothing of the situation. How could he help him understand what he was feeling? He obviously could not. So, the absolute truth was that Riku had no brain, and that he was a dumbass. "...wanted to check up on my Mom and Seph. Are they all right?"

"Sure, Riku, they're fine. Kazumi's crazy as usual, and she and my mom are having a lot of fun together. We miss you, man."

"Thanks..." Riku said, his mind wandering to thoughts of Sora again. "Tell them I said hi, g'bye, Axel."

"Talk to ya later, Ri."

Riku shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. Well, gee, talking to Axel did not make him feel any better. At first, he had made him angrier, but then he realized—honestly—Axel had nothing to do with this. It wasn't his fault he was so wound up. Riku had to deal with this himself.

_You like him,_ said a voice in his head.

_I do not!_ Riku shot back. Yes, it was quite amusing... Riku was fighting with himself. He often did this, though it was not a well-known fact. None of his family knew; nor any of his friends. It was quite anomalous, indeed.

_Then why on earth do you care so much about what happened to him? Why do you want to know so badly?_ asked the voice.

Riku thought over this little question for a moment; then gasped, scolding himself for even having to consider that thought. He was going mad, obviously. If this wasn't a hint already, then obviously the voice in his head proved this.

_I'm just curious! Geez. Leave me alone, will you?_

_I can't leave you alone Riku, because I am you, smartass,_ said the voice.

Riku grunted. So the voice had returned once more. Riku had had this voice several years now. He wasn't quite sure when it first arrived, maybe when he could no longer deal with his brother's antics any longer.

_But you haven't shown up for a while! Gah! You're so annoying... Wait...am I psychotic?_

_Not yet,_ said the voice, amused.

Riku sneered. _I don't care about him. Not a bit. I simply wonder what happened to him,_ Riku assured himself—and the voice. I mean, obviously, there was no special meaning behind Riku wondering what happened to Sora. He did not like him, or anything like that. No, he most certainly did not.

_Curiosity always did kill the cat, Riku,_ the voice shot back

_**Shut the hell up!**_ Riku gripped his head.

_You like him,_ the voice persisted. _Face it. You don't want to show any human attachment. You just want to separate yourself from everyone else in the world. That's why you never feel that close to anyone. You're worried of getting hurt._

_You're wrong! _he shouted at himself. He did not want to hear the thoughts in his mind. They were not true; they were completely and utterly wrong.

The voice was taunting him only, surely. There was no actual meaning or basis behind the voice's claims. So Riku simply did not want to hear it. Who in their right mind wanted to hear lies about themselves? Or maybe Riku didn't want to hear all this…because he was afraid that it might possibly very likely well could be true.

_No, I'm always right. But remember, dearest Riku—we are one in the same—I am your other half, the one that tells you to get real and stop hiding your feelings, and realize who you really are. And at the moment, I am telling you to realize that you like this Sora kid. Otherwise, you wouldn't__—_

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Riku screamed aloud. He was now shaking from rage and…perhaps (?) fear.

"Riku, are you okay?" At that very moment, someone knocked on his door, and interrupted his fight with himself.

"C-Cloud?" he stuttered, his headache slowly starting to dissolve.

"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to make sure you felt all right. You said you felt sick, and you rushed off so quickly..."

_Great, now I've made him worry about me,_ Riku thought.

"N-no, I'm fine. I'll be out in a little while," he answered.

"Okay." And Riku heard Cloud's quiet footsteps before he heard the door shut.

_Sora..._ Riku scolded himself for even thinking about the boy again. Why was he so curious about him? Wait...Sora...

Riku's eyes widened. He was out _THERE!_

_Oh, shit,_ thought Riku. He then repeated that single word over and over again in his head, because it seemed like the most appropriate word for a situation such as this.

What on earth was he supposed to do? Honestly, I don't know what he _could_ do; he was in a rather rough situation, after all. All his thoughts were swirled around Sora, and he had been out there the entire time. How could he go out there...after finding out what had happened to Sora…

Riku took in a deep breath, feeling his headache come back in a great rush. Grabbing the door handle, he slowly opened the door and as soon as it was fully opened, he realized that Sora was staring directly at him. This was not good.

Riku's heartbeat began to quicken. And he wondered why the hell it did. He found himself staring back at Sora, and not a word was said between them. Well, honestly, Riku desperately wanted to ask Sora how he was handicapped, but he did not dare.

Finally, Riku found his voice. It came out scratchy and hoarse, and he felt like he could just die. "Today's a lovely day, isn't it?" Wow, Riku, I _know_ you can do better than that...

Sora mumbled something that Riku couldn't hear. "What?" Riku asked.

"It is," he said it louder, after a slight moment's hesitation. Riku wondered if that was what he had really said...

Riku did not really know what else to say, he felt awkward around Sora now, and it wasn't because he felt superior to Sora in any way, heavens, no, it was just that...

...he began to wonder if the voice was somehow right.

"I hope you have a good day, Sora," said Riku, Sora still staring at him intently. They were such intensely beautiful blue eyes, Riku felt like he would burst it he stared into them much longer.

Sora nodded his head slowly, and then turned it away when Riku exited, but he did not look at the window as he usually did. When the door closed, though, he stared at the door, as if Riku were still there. "Wait..."

Once outside, Riku let out a sigh. Gee, Sora must think he's a jerk now, or something. He should have talked to him more. _Man_, he thought, _I am such an ass._ He sat down on the stairs, allowing himself to think. Although, staying there on the stairs for about an hour may have not been the smartest thing, especially since a certain raven-haired girl came and sat down beside him.

"So...Riku..." she started, grinning widely.

"What?" he said, sounding rather idle and uninterested, his mind still wandering somewhere off, thinking about Sora. _Maybe I do like him..._ he thought. _NO!_ he immediately snapped in thought quickly after. He shook his head and demanded himself to stop thinking about the brunet.

"Well, it is getting closer to Christmas, and to celebrate this wonderful holiday, we were wondering if you would come Christmas shopping with us tomorrow, Riku?"

"'We', as in whom?" he asked, curiously.

"Reno and me, of course!" she said, beaming, and scooting closer to Riku. Riku didn't like how she was getting closer to him...she sort of scared him. Oh, wait…Reno? Riku swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat at the name of the insane redhead. Could he handle being at a Christmas store...with the crackpot who was named Reno? He wasn't sure...

Yuffie was inching even closer to him now, and wrapped her arm around him, squeezing him much harder than he would have appreciated.

Oh.

She was threatening him.

Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He did have a cuckoo mother, a freak who made no sense for a brother, and a pyromaniac for a friend. Reno wasn't as bad as they were...

"Sure," he said, shrugging his shoulders idly.

"Yay!" Yuffie hugged him, and then ran off, letting Riku feel comfortable again, before she called back saying if he didn't get his butt down and helped work, she'd kill him.

Riku quickly scrambled down the stairs.

* * *

Riku ignored Sora for the most part, and it was rather easy, since the brunet would never look at anyone directly unless they were talking to him, if that, even. Riku had trouble falling asleep that night, because the damn voice would not leave him the hell alone, pestering him to talk to Sora and apologize, since he liked him so darn much.

And even once he fell asleep, it was a restless sleep; he hardly slept at all. He kept waking up in the middle of the night, and he was always sweating intensely. He felt like he was going to go insane. What had come over him lately?

The morning came, and Riku gave Sora his breakfast, neither boy saying more than a word or two to the other, and shortly after that, Yuffie dragged Reno and Riku out of the orphanage and into her car.

Riku began to fear for his life.

Yuffie...driving? The thought was as bad as his mother driving, or even worse: Selphie. Surprisingly enough, Seph and Axel were good drivers. Yes, who would've thunk it.

Yuffie got this psychotic look on her face, after Reno got in the passenger's seat and buckled his seatbelt, Riku sat in the back, definitely making sure to buckle up. Oh my, thank goodness seatbelts were created, otherwise, Riku knew for sure, he would die.

_Maybe she's actually a good driver, though, _Riku thought. After all, not all crazy people were bad drivers. Seph and Axel being good ones was enough proof for Riku. He prayed with all his might that Yuffie was a good driver, before she took off driving at a high speed, swerving in and out of lanes and honking at several other cars in the process.

Never mind.

* * *

Riku was thoroughly relieved when the car stopped and they reached the mall, where Yuffie said had the best Christmas store in town. He was so thankful, he considered kissing the ground, even though it was dirty and disgusting. Eww. Riku regretted the thought. He was too proper to do such an action, obviously. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He needed some water.

They made it into the Christmas store, and Riku was surprised himself actually at how many nice and beautiful things were in the store. Riku found himself actually feeling a little excited, even though he had scoffed at the idea earlier. It seemed like the kid in Riku had once more come out. We all have the inner kid in all of us, after all. It is just a matter of letting it come out once and a while.

Immediately, Yuffie went crazy in the store, acting like a five-year-old usually would at Christmas time. Riku actually thought it was kind of cute. But when Yuffie kept showing him thing after thing, he felt sad and guilty, for most of the stuff Yuffie loved was too expensive for them to afford, and he knew it.

So, wondering if he'd regret it later, he called Yuffie over, and offered her some of his money.

"I know you don't need to use all of it, but—" he was interrupted as his wallet was suddenly snatched away from him and he was given an extremely tight hug.

"Thank you, Riku!" she yelled as she ran off to buy tons and tons of stuff in the store.

Riku sat down on a bench in the store, a horrified expression on his face. "I'm never going to see a cent of money ever again."

"You got that right!" someone shouted as they sat down next to Riku.

"Ahh!" he screamed, falling off the bench. His eyes narrowed, recognizing the crazy redhead. "Reno, don't scare me like that! Geez," he grumbled, crossing his arms as he stood back up. He sat back down on the bench grudgingly. Reno didn't make a motion to move. Riku sighed, figuring he'd have to deal with the pesky redhead until Yuffie used up all his money.

This could take a while.

There was silence for a moment, before Reno finally broke it.

"So, Riku, even if you're not sure whether you're gay or not, at least answer me this," the redhead started, Riku's Anger Meter™ rising to an 8 or so. His head was boiling, and Reno certainly wasn't helping the situation, either. If only he knew, perhaps Reno would be a bit more cautious around Riku from now on. He did not know about Riku's Anger Meter™ after all; most people do not have them, after all.

"What?" Riku ground out.

"Are you a virgin?" Reno grinned playfully, and then winked at Riku.

Oh...my goodness. Be careful, the anger meter has just risen to 14.5! Oh my! Be on the lookout! Alert! Alert! Red alert! Everyone, save yourselves!

"RE...NO!" Riku's aquamarine eyes, it seemed, looked as if they had just turned red. Oh my, the only other time that happened, something happened in the kitchen. Let me tell you, it was not a pretty sight, certainly not. It took his mother weeks to fix it up, oh, the horror of it all!

Reno laughed nervously, sensing the fact that Riku was extremely pissed. Oh, he did certainly look scary, that he did. Not even saying anything, Reno did what he thought was the smartest thing to do in a situation such as this, he ran like hell, attempting to save his life. (Do not forget, if the anger meter hits twelve, planet earth is in danger.)

Before Riku decided to tackle the earth, he figured he might as well go after Reno first. Since he was the cause for his anger, it only made sense. He ran after him like mad, yelling out, "Get back here, you bastard!"

Reno continued to attempt to outrun Riku, which, mind you, was not an easy task to complete. He ran and ran and ran, and only seemed like he was getting more tired and that his legs were about to give out any moment, and to top all that off, it seemed as if Riku was only getting faster, and was right behind him now. Oh, my, poor Reno shall be buried six feet deep with flowers atop his grave very soon... Sad, how sad it is.

"I'll murder you!" Riku yelled out again.

Well, never knowing when to shut his mouth, Reno did the unexpectable thing to do in such a situation; he spoke again, saying, "Judging by your reaction, Riku, I'd say I got my answer." He grinned slyly as he came to a halt, noticing that several people were staring at them. Well, isn't that nice...

Riku tackled him to the ground, and they tumbled around for a while, Riku throwing curses at Reno left and right, and maybe getting a punch or two in there as well. "Reno, you are such an—"

But Riku didn't get to finish that sentence, for Reno rolled over again, so Riku was against the cold, hard floor, and what Reno did, was absolutely, positively unthinkable! Riku was put to shock, which was not surprising, and it seemed their audience was just as shocked, indeed.

Reno bent down swiftly, and kissed Riku—on the lips! Riku's eyes, I'm sure, were as wide as they possibly could be. But Reno quickly pulled away, a smirk intact on his face. He looked around their audience, some teenaged girls looked like they were about to faint, others look disgusted, and there were many who seemed to be sharing the same expression as Riku was.

"_Dahling_," Reno said, in a rather convincing British accent, actually, **(2)-** "we must be going now, it seems we've gotten some attention we shouldn't have." Reno giggled, and turned his head to look at Riku, realizing the boy was still frozen on the ground, eyes and mouth as wide as ever.

Reno bent down and helped Riku to his feet. "Riku, love, we really must be going now." Reno tugged Riku along, realizing it was a harder task than he thought it would be. He turned to the crowd, saying, "There's nothing that can be done with the bloke, honestly." He shook his head, tugging Riku more. Finally, the boy seemed to be able to walk again.

And Reno turned around and winked at the crowd, before he dragged Riku back to the Christmas store.

* * *

"I hate my life." Riku had finally snapped out of the stupor Reno had sent him in, when Yuffie handed him back his empty wallet. Oh, how lovely... He began to beat up Reno, for not only calling him a virgin and questioning his sexuality again, but for kissing him, of all things! Ooh, the bastard! Reno was to be murdered very soon, that was for sure.

And to top all that off, he was going to have to ride with Yuffie back to the orphanage. Riku was seriously considering calling a cab...

_Oh, shit,_ he thought. _She took all my money._

Well, deciding that it was his only option, Riku got in Yuffie's car very reluctantly, and was forced to drive home with her, hearing Christmas tunes the entire way. Oh, and if you think that wasn't enough? Because Yuffie had bought so much stuff, Riku was forced to hold some of it. Not only was he holding several bags of Christmas goodies, but he was also forced to carry a small pink Christmas tree, which kept poking him in the eye. His other began to twitch.

Life was absolutely wonderful.

Yuffie and Reno were singing along to all the songs, the one that was currently on was "Frosty the Snowman". Riku wondered, why did the snowman come to life? What was with the magic hat? Why was he so jolly?

"Come on, Riku! Sing along!" Yuffie cheered.

"No," Riku grumpily shot back.

"But it would be fun!" she persisted.

"I don't want to!" No siree, Riku would not back down. He was upset enough with the whole 'Yuffie stole my money' thing, and the 'Reno's a perverted bastard' thing, and also the 'Why the hell do I have to hold the pink tree' thing. Yes, it would probably destroy the Earth if Yuffie didn't let it go about the singing thing...

But did she do that?

Well, it seemed so, anyway, because she did not mention it again for a little while. But then Riku got nervous, because Reno and Yuffie began to whisper to each other, and he couldn't hear them at all because of the stupid Christmas music!

Well, the next thing Riku knew, was that Yuffie pulled over on the side of the road, nearly causing them to get in...oh, two or three car accidents. Riku's eyes went wide, and he screamed out, "Are you crazy?"

Yuffie ignored him, and then turned around, the most freakishly scary and insane-looking grin Riku had ever seen in his life on her face. Oh, goodness, he feared for his life! "Riku, dear, if you don't sing along, I'm not going to start the car again, and if you attempt to run away at all, I'll kill you, I swear it." Yuffie said all this with the same, grin, smiling sweetly and then giggling. She was positively evil. Plain and simple. That was the only solution for this. The woman was out of her mind, and she was…the spawn of Satan. Yes, that was what she was.

Riku waited a moment, wondering if he'd rather die out here or sing a stupid little song... Hmm, I think he'll go with the latter one. Though it was a rather hard decision, of course.

Riku threw in the white towel as he reluctantly sang along with the Christmas song "Jingle Bells".

* * *

When they finally reached the orphanage, Riku got out and kissed the ground, thankful that they had even made it home safely. Yes, he knew it was not sanitary, and someone of his status should obviously never kiss the ground, but he was too darn thankful for his life. Yuffie threatened to punch him, but Reno was able to pull her away.

"You got away easy, this time, Riku," she warned, climbing up the stairs.

"Well, I was surprised I lived by the way you drive," he said under his breath; but she still heard him.

"You bastard!" She turned around and was ready to murder him, before Reno grabbed her and carried her through the door over his shoulder. She gave him her favorite finger and smirked.

As soon as she was in the house, Riku shook his head, mumbling, "You're a better driver than my mom, though."

* * *

Riku had not been talking to Sora lately—not very much, anyway. Though perhaps it was not all entirely his fault. It seemed like whenever he tried to talk to Sora, the brunet just shut him out. Well, not literally, but I think you understand the point. So, except for when he gave Sora his meals everyday, Riku did not speak to Sora.

It was now the day after the shopping spree, and something extremely special would happen on this day, indeed. Well, first and foremost, Kadaj was feeling sick, and so he was at his apartment, Reno with him, trying to help Kadaj get better more quickly. Although, Riku idly wondered if Reno would make it better or worse.

So, Aerith decided to take over making the meals until Kadaj was better, though it seemed like it would not be that long. For Kadaj insisted he would feel well enough to come back tomorrow. It would seem that you could not keep him away from this orphanage, especially when it involved him cooking. Riku wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Kadaj couldn't clean while he was sick. Most likely, that did have something to do with it, too.

Aerith decided that today, she would want a little help making the lunch. And whom did she ask, you wonder? Why, Riku, of course! Could she ask anyone else? Why, obviously not.

"Riku," she called from the kitchen, "could you come and help me a minute?"

Riku pushed all the pestering kids off of him, and grudgingly went to the kitchen, although, when he saw Aerith's sweet smile, he let his anger slip away. She was a rather sweet person, after all. "Yes?"

"Would you help out making lunch, Riku? We're having sandwiches and soup. I can take care of the soup if you could handle the sandwiches," she said, smiling sweetly.

Riku could not refuse, even though he hadn't really cooked much before in his life. (His mother said she would pass down the torch when he hit 18, but it wasn't his birthday yet, so...)

They decided to make turkey sandwiches, and some peanut butter and jelly ones too, because some of the kids refused to eat anything BUT peanut butter and jelly. _Stupid kids,_ thought Riku. Who in their right mind would only eat peanut butter and jelly?

Most humans would think it would be rather simple enough to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but let me remind you, Riku was no normal human being, he did, in fact, come from an insane bloodline, he also had a voice that spoke in his head, and he had regular conversations with it, and it seemed that he wasn't able to do certain things too well...such as making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, for one, let alone turkey ones.

Oh, the horror! There had never been such a mess in the kitchen since his anger meter had reached 15 once... There were several, albeit, small explosions that occurred in the kitchen. Believe it or not, they involved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, not the soup, which would make much more sense. But no, as I said before, Riku was not like most normal people and often screwed things up.

Well, to say the least, Riku did accomplish to make some nice sandwiches, after going through dozens of loafs of bread (or perhaps even more), he managed to actually make a few nice sandwiches, with Aerith's help, of course.

Riku was envious of her for the fact she did not screw up the soup. Not even once, either. Damn it all to hell!

_I fail at life_, he thought miserably, vaguely wondering if he spent too much time on the computer.

Well, as per usual, Aerith asked him to take up Sora's lunch to him. Riku wondered why he was always asked. Wasn't she capable of climbing a set of stairs (even if they were scary because they didn't seem to be the safest) and giving a teenage boy his daily meals? Not like Riku minded, oh no, he was just curious why he was always asked.

Cloud and Yuffie and all the others were capable of delivering Sora's meals, too, and yet, they were not asked either. It was just always him... That made Riku think quite a bit. But before he knew it, he had already made it to the top of the stairs and down the hallway, and he was now just waiting outside the room, knowing fully well that Sora was the only one in there, and that he was...well...nervous to speak to him.

What if he wouldn't eat the food because Riku himself had made it? What if the boy snubbed him again, not really wanting to speak, because—Riku gasped—because maybe Sora didn't like him at all and thought he was annoying!

_There you go again, you idiot,_ the voice mocked him in his head. _You like him, he likes you, if you two could just be happy and talk to each other, my life would be a hell of a lot easier._

Riku growled lowly in his throat. He waited another minute, pushing the voice in the darkest corner of his brain, before he cleared his throat, and then managed to enter the room, some weird feeling in his stomach...like some sort of fluttering, or something. Riku had that feeling before. It was definitely strange.

Sora turned his head immediately when Riku entered, and it seemed like, but Riku wasn't entirely sure, that Sora smiled when he entered, if it could even be called that. It was more like a little twitch upwards of the lips, more than anything.

"I brought you your lunch, Sora," Riku said, even if it was very obvious, since he was carrying the tray of food, after all. Riku mentally smacked himself in the forehead. He always stated the obvious, didn't he?

"Thank you," he mumbled quietly.

Riku took in a deep breath, trying to push away that...funny feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. "I made the sandwiches," he said, hoping that Sora would find them to be any good. Oh my, what a horror it was making them! Riku shuddered just at the thought.

"I like turkey," said Sora, in a rather small, distant voice.

Riku felt happy that he had picked turkey for Sora instead of peanut butter and jelly. Oh, the horror of the peanut butter!

"That's good," Riku said, finding he had a rather goofy grin on his face. Was he that happy that Sora said he liked it, honestly? I think Riku has certain issues that need to be dealt with immediately…

Riku waited for Sora to eat something, as he sat down on the bed next to him. A long silence passed between the two boys as Sora simply stared down at the food. Another painful moment of silence brought a slight shout out of Sora, "Are you just going to sit there and stare at me all day like that?"

"I will until you tell me what you think of the food," Riku answered, rather calmly. Quite calm indeed, since inside he kept yelling at himself, and the voice kept yelling back. The voice was really starting to bug the heck out of him, and he wished he could shoot it and get it all over with. Once and for all.

Although, that would be a bust; because then he would kill himself. This was a rather difficult situation, wasn't it? Oh, yes, it was.

Sora pursed his lips. He looked back down at his food, tearing his stare away from Riku. Another moment passed before Sora actually picked up the sandwich and ate it slowly. "It's...very nice," he commented quietly before taking another bite.

_Ha!_ Riku cheered triumphantly in his head. Now he felt like all his sufferings didn't actually go for nothing! How wonderful indeed. _Hey_, he thought, _this is the first time I've actually seen him eat. Well...that's a relief. I was starting to wonder if he actually ever ate at all._

But then, it seemed the moment was gone, for Sora set the sandwich back down, and instead stared down at his food, eventually, his gaze shifted to Riku, and Riku decided to suddenly ask Sora a question, he had no idea why, the voice in his head had no idea why, and honestly, I have no idea why he asked a question at this time, either.

"What's your favorite color?" His voice was rushed and slightly squeaky. Riku cursed himself for sounded strange whenever he spoke to Sora now. For some reason, something just came over him. It was very odd, indeed.

"Aquamarine," Sora answered, rather quickly actually. The boy usually seemed to take about five minutes every time before he spoke.

Riku pondered this. "Mine's blue." Hey...wait a second. _His_ eyes were aquamarine! Was...was that just a coincidence, or did Sora say it because...?

Riku's conversation with Sora fell short, however, for a loud noise came from downstairs suddenly, followed by several screams. What the hell just happened? He quickly ran out of the room and stopped down the stairs mid-way, his mouth opened.

What in the...?

* * *

**1 **- Ahaha. I love Edward Scissorhands! Isn't he just the cutest? Ah...I just watched the movie for the first time before deciding to write this again—that explains why I mentioned him. xD

**2** - Ehh...in that original segment I don't think I had Reno fake an accent. Oh well. It's there now and I think it's kind of funny. I also just suddenly start talking in an accent and I don't even realize it. Hah, I guess I'm really connecting with my British side (but I still say I most connect to my Irish one!) –Waves the Ireland flag around-

**Next chapter:** Eh...it's deleted. O-O Ehh... Riku finds out who caused the noise, he learns a BIG secret of Sora's, and he also gets a phone call from a very important person, indeed. And also— **Roxas** finally comes into the story! –cheers- Well, probably doesn't explain much. -.- As I said, I deleted it, so that's just from my memory. Well, actually something very big happens next chapter, but I can't reveal too much! Oh, the horror!

Also, as a note on the voice in Riku's head. Don't worry, he doesn't have a multiple personality or something...he simply has two sides to him. The one who wants to be nicer and give in, and the rich side of himself, who bursts out saying, "NO!". Hehe. I have the voice sometimes too. But usually it's telling me not to do something really, really stupid. :P

Oh, one last thing. **I got a complaint that I was stereotyping orphanages and discriminating them.** Well, I want to clear it up that that is **NOT** the case. My Mom is adopted, and so is my cousin. And they are two of the best people in the entire world. I do not hate orphans; I love them. They are exactly the same as myself, not lower in any way…in fact, they're surely better than _I_ am! **Riku is supposed to be a snob** in this fic, and really, it's basically **told from his POV**, so really, the** orphanage isn't as bad as he describes it**. He's just a rich snob who will learn a lot of important lessons during this fic's running. I am _so sorry_ if I offended anyone with this fic. I assure you I did not intend to.

Well, see ya next time, and don't forget to **review **and make me REALLY happy! XDXD Come now, click the little button. You know you're just dying to.


	4. Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of

I know…I know, there is no excuse for it this time—so just please, be gentle on me! –Shields herself- I just…the same thing happened again before the third chapter. But do not fret, for I am back and I swear I will finish this fic even if it kills me!

**Riku:** It probably will…

-Sigh- I know it's been several months again, but I swear I will finish this fic. A lot of things happened. We were moving, and I just sort of lost interest again with fanfiction—and a lot has happened since then. Like, I have now quit ice skating. Yup, I loved it so much, and it seems like a shocker, but it was killing my body. My bones pop all the time, I have a bad back, I got asthma, too (I haven't had an attack since I quit—unless I'm around smoke). It was just too hard on my body.

School is also a killer. I swear, school should burn and die. It takes all my time! I'm also writing regular stories, too, so keeping them up with fics is troublesome—and I also try and find time to watch TV, read books and manga, and exercise, if that is at all possible. I swear, we people need more than 24 hours in a day, darn it!

But if anyone remembers this fic at all, please come back to it! I am in it seriously—I know you all probably don't trust me…but please believe me! I'm so serious about it, that I went back and edited the previous three chapters. Yes, I am that serious! Anyway, moving on…

**Special Offer:** All right, folks, you see the title to this chapter—and the title of chapter three? Welp, they are both song titles from a certain singer/band, and whoever are the first two people to guess what singer/band sings these two songs gets a **one-shot**! So hurry up and **review! **I'm not sure how quickly I can write them, and the one-shot must be a pairing I am familiar with and approve of, and it would be the best if it were Kingdom Hearts—actually, it** must** be Kingdom Hearts. Why? I just don't feel like I can write anything else right now…I know, it's strange, especially since I'm in such a Harry Potter mood…ah well.

**Summary: **Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to _help_ them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer: **Yes! I own it! I admit it! –Gets taken away by the big men in black suits-

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language.**

**Reviews:** I swear, I love all my reviewers so much—you all make me so happy:) Please come back and review again, it so often makes my day. Seriously, it also makes me write faster, because it encourages me. XD

**A/N: **Do you all know I am also sick right now? Yup, it sucks horribly. First I had the worst sore throat I have ever had for like three days—if it had kept up, I would have had to go to the doctor. Then for a couple days, I was sickness-free, and then BAM! I start coughing and am all congested. Most of the coughing is gone now, but seriously, my nose is killing me. Why do I even have to have a nose, anyway? Oh, yeah… Right. To breathe and smell. I suppose that is necessary.

All right, we shall now be moving onto the story. Please enjoy it!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 4. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of

-o-

_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - ** Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Riku's conversation with Sora fell short, however, for a loud noise came from downstairs suddenly, followed by several screams. What the hell just happened? He quickly ran out of the room and stopped down the stairs mid-way, his mouth opened.

What in the...?

Riku was left dumbfounded as he saw several strange people in the living room, and believe _me_ they most certainly did look strange, indeed. Riku's eyes immediately landed on a girl with long brown hair...and an_...ahem_ rather large chest.

"Hello, all you good people! We have finally returned from the ends of the Earth!" she shouted, waving her arms around. Immediately, Yuffie ran up to her and glomped her.

"We only went to Twilight Town," said a silver-haired boy, brushing his hair out of his face.

Yuffie squealed. "Tifa! You've finally come back! We missed you all soo much! I thought you would never come back."

The girl, who Riku now presumed was named Tifa, grinned widely and patted Yuffie on the head. "Well, we have returned now, my darling, so you do not need to fret any longer." Tifa turned to her left slightly, and out of the corner of her eye noticed Riku; he immediately began to back away up the stairs again, but it was no use, she had already spotted him.

"And who is this?" she asked Cloud with a coy smile.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Tifa, this is Riku. He's the boy that signed up to help us out. He's a really good guy."

Riku had to try hard to suppress the smile from showing on his face, but finally he succumbed to it, and let his lips twitch upwards. He _really_ liked Cloud. A lot.

Tifa's grin then only seemed to grow, and Riku was steadily worrying that she was quite a bit like Yuffie. They both had freakish grins on their faces most of the time; they both acted crazy; and were too damn loud for their own good. Yep, they had quite a bit in common, indeed. "So, Riku, let me introduce myself to you. I'm Tifa Lockhart, the last person that works here in this orphanage. Yup, there are a lot of us, and we all have our quirks, but you shall get used to it in good time, my good fellow."

Riku stared at her oddly. Perhaps she was even _worse_ than Yuffie. No, scratch that. That was simply impossible. Riku shook his head, clearing him of his thoughts and looked at Tifa, trying to keep looking at her face instead of her breasts. "I'm Riku Sugisaki, nice to meet you." He held out his hand and she shook it enthusiastically.

She then spoke again. "You see, we thought the oldest teens here deserved a little treat, since they'll soon be old enough to leave this place anyway, so I took them on a little trip. So if you're curious as to whom they all are, just go ahead and meet 'em all. It'll be fun, trust me."

Despite Tifa's encouraging grin, when Riku glanced at the people that had intruded the peaceful living room but moments ago, he immediately wished he were back up there in his room with Sora. Riku's eyes widened out of reflex. Sora! He wanted to be with Sora, dammit! He was finally talking to the brunet—they actually were talking in a way that could possibly lead up to a conversation! Riku suddenly looked at the people with scorn. It was all their damn fault!

_Hah, I told you so, Riku. You are angry at complete strangers because they interrupted you in your chat with this Sora Kid. Aren't I always right?_ said the voice.

Riku snorted. _You wish,_ he shot back.

The voice continued to taunt Riku, but he ignored it, and instead turned to the people in the room. He gulped. Today was yet again going to be a long day. A horribly long and troublesome day, indeed.

* * *

Axel was running late. He had missed his bus, and was in quite a lot of trouble indeed. He had to run as fast as his legs could carry him, and it was now currently snowing. Snow kept getting in his eyes. He could hardly see a darn thing. He looked at his watch. It said 1:02. He was supposed to be there by 1 o' clock. Darn it all! Axel then furrowed his brows. Wait...he looked at his watch a few minutes ago, and it had said the same thing. He then looked at his watch again. His eyes widened in horror.

"My watch stopped!" he shrieked in dismay. He looked around for a clock at all, to see if he could see what time it really was. He then remembered he had his cell phone, and mentally slapped himself for being an idiot. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the time. His eyes widened even further.

"No," he said slowly, unable to process this as the truth. "No...it can't be 1:32!" He then took off like the wind, snow be damned.

With his quick sprinting, Axel managed to make it there by 1:40, and that was quite a stretch in itself. He quickly ran up the small set of stairs and rang the doorbell. He then melted down to the floor, in utter exhaustion. "Damn, it's cold," he mumbled to himself, taking in a deep breath.

A short girl with brown hair then opened the door. She looked around, puzzled. She could have sworn someone had rung the doorbell...

"Ack!" she gasped when she noticed Axel. "Oh my gosh, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Axel took another deep breath and managed to stand up. "I'm just fine, thanks. Axel's the name. Got it memorized?" Inside his head, an inner Axel scolded himself for using his little catchphrase. Riku always told him it made him sound like an utter dork.

"Yes, I do," she said, smiling sweetly. "I heard you were coming today, we began to worry about you because it was so late. Are you sure you're all right?

Axel waved a hand dismissively. "I missed my bus, that's why I'm so late. I had to the run the entire way here."

"Oh, that's awful," said the girl, frowning. "Anyway, my name's Rinoa. It's very nice to meet you, Axel."

"Same here."

Axel then went inside, and was immediately grateful for how warm it was in here. He looked around. It was very nice in here. A roaring fireplace, newly painted walls, nice wooden floors… He already liked this place. He was oddly disappointed that he wouldn't be staying the night here like Riku was at his orphanage, he would leave every night at 8:30. It was strange, because the whole way over here, all he could think about was that he was glad that he wouldn't have to stay here. But it was so nice in here.

Rinoa then introduced Axel to the various other people in the room. "That blond guy there with the tattoo is Zell, and the blond next to him is Seifer. And over there is Lulu. We four run this orphanage. Well, actually we have five members. But Marth **(1)** isn't here today because he's sick." Rinoa then turned to him. "Would you like to meet the children?"

Axel grinned. "That would be great."

"All right, well, they are all right up those stairs. I have to finish up cleaning after lunch, so why don't you go ahead and go up there?"

Axel did as Rinoa suggested, and went up the stairs and went into the various rooms, getting acquainted with the children. They were all very nice children, and Axel decided then and there he would thoroughly enjoy his times here. But there was one more door filled with kids, and this room was actually where most of the teens were. Axel slowly poked the door open.

He looked around at all the different teenagers, and began to introduce himself to them. There was only one more boy left in the room. Axel turned to look at a boy in his bed, lazily tossing a baseball up into the air and catching it automatically. He had spiky blond hair and intensely blue eyes. Axel cleared his throat and walked over to him.

The boy ignored Axel, even when the redhead was right in front of him. Axel waited a moment, figuring the boy would notice him eventually, but soon Axel grew tired of it all and cleared his throat. Still, the blond did not look his way—not even in the slightest! Axel was outraged inside. Finally, he said, "Erm, I'm Axel—nice to meet you."

"What do you want?" asked the boy, still tossing his baseball in the air.

Axel looked affronted at this. Who did this punk think he was? "I want to introduce myself to you."

The blond turned to stare at him. He then quickly rolled back on his back again. "Well, I don't want to."

Axel opened his mouth to retort, and then finally sat down on the bed across from the boy. "Well, I won't be leaving until you tell me your name."

The blond groaned. "Fine, you idiot. My name's Roxas. Now leave me alone, will you?"

Axel mentally repeated the name in his mind. It had a really nice ring to it. "It's nice to meet you, Roxas."

Roxas stared at Axel oddly. "Well, it's not nice to meet you, Volcanohead."

Axel's emerald eyes grew considerably at this. His left eye then began to twitch, his grin still intact on his face. Oh, dear, I think it's stuck with glue. Hang in there, our dear pyromaniac! "What did you just call me?"

"Volcanohead," the boy clarified.

Axel decided that he could take no more, and stood up and walked away. Volcanohead…honestly! He had never been called that before! The nerve of some people! Axel made a mental note to call Riku and complain about this later. Axel then stopped walking. Wait. Riku would only tease him about this. Well, that was simply no good, so he would just have to bottle it up in his head. No one took him seriously. Axel sighed and his shoulders slumped forward. Unbeknownst to him, a certain blond was staring at him.

* * *

Now back to our dearest little Riku. He had just been introduced to everyone, and felt like he was going to mad, in all honesty. Suddenly, the lyrics to "I'm Going Slightly Mad" by Queen popped into his head. He smacked his forehead as he sat down in a chair. They were all crazy, or very strange, indeed. He knew many people in this world were out of their minds, but honestly, he thought it mainly ran in his family—why did everyone he was around have to be crazy? Selphie, Axel, his family…and all of the people here! Seph's boyfriend was weird, too. Sometimes he swore that Vincent was a vampire. He never looked in a mirror, he hated the light, and he seemed to always be wearing dark (or red) clothing. He really _was_ weird.

First and foremost, Riku had the pleasure of meeting a freaky blond with a mullet who always seemed to have a freakishly big grin on his face. It made him look so utterly stupid. And the boy kept trying to sing, too. It was so horrid, Riku thought he might just die from it. He was tall and gangly, and seemed to be quite a bit of a klutz, too. Since he had come, he had already broken three different things. Poor Aerith had had to clean them all up. This boy's name was Demyx.

Now the boy that Demyx was always hanging onto (and said boy also kept telling the blond to get off and shut up) had slate colored hair, and seemed to have a bit of an attitude. Out of all the new ones he had met, he seemed to be the most normal, though he was certainly odd, too. He always had a sour expression on his face and seemed to be emo. But Demyx seemed to like him and kept clinging to him. Riku wondered if something was going on there. His name was Zexion.

The only girl that had come besides Tifa had blond hair, and two parts of her hair were sticking out oddly. She reminded Riku of a grasshopper, for some peculiar reason. She always had a smirk on her face and was up to no good, it seemed. Riku knew she was out to get him. She kept staring at him strangely. Her name was Larxene.

And, perhaps the worst of them all was some guy named Xemnas. He had white/silver hair and amber eyes, and he seriously freaked Riku out. A ton. He kept yelling out things like, "Darkness!" and "Submit!" They also called him Mansex as a nickname. Riku was rather disturbed by this as well. Xemnas kept looking at him oddly, too. Riku gulped at the very thought.

Suddenly, a pink-haired boy began to skip towards Riku, his eyes widened in horror as he remembered the _real_ worst one of the new pack. His name was Marluxia, and he had pink hair. That in itself freaked Riku out. But this is not was the worst thing about him—the guy was insanely obsessed with flowers. It was rather unhealthy, actually. Riku attempted to sneak away before Marluxia could catch him, but alas, it was too late, he was too close and he would have to be stuck with yet another conversation with this whacko pink-haired freak.

"Oh, Riku, _there_ you are!" said Marluxia as he bounded up to Riku. He sat down beside him. Riku instinctively inched away from Marluxia, but it was no use, the pink-haired boy was too darn close! Riku cursed his bad luck in his head "I wanted to ask you a question, Riku."

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing it would be better just to face it and take on the horridness of it all face on. _All right_, he thought, _it's not too bad. After all, he's not much worse than Seph..._ But that was quite an understatement, indeed. "What is it, Marluxia?"

"I was wondering what your favorite flower is," he clarified.

Riku honestly wasn't sure. He had never really thought about it before. "Erm...rose, I s'ppose." _Hah! A rhyme!_ Riku cheered in thought. Yeah, roses were nice, right? Hopefully Marluxia would leave him alone now. But that was obviously not the case.

Marluxia's eyes lit up immediately. "Ah, what a wonderful choice, Riku! Roses are obviously magnificent, but then again, they are somewhat clichéd, if you what I mean. Now a marvelous flower is—"

Riku tuned Marluxia out, his thoughts once more trailing off to Sora. He wished he could sneak away to see the boy again, but with these psychos everywhere, it was rather hard. They all kept...talking to him. It was rather disgusting, to be honest. Riku's eyes scaled the room, taking in what the other people were doing. He then noticed that Xemnas was staring at him again. Oh, no! He was coming this way! Riku snapped up and told Marluxia he had to go. But Riku barely made it a few steps away before Xemnas had a hold on him.

"Oh, Riku Sugisaki, you must submit!" he yelled out, stretching his arms out widely.

Riku laughed nervously. Seriously, this guy was out of his fucking mind. Riku backed away nervously. "All right, all right, Xemnas, I'll submit, you don't have to worry." But Xemnas was not quite satisfied. Somehow, though, Riku finally managed to break himself free from Xemnas' grasp, and quickly ran up the stairs, hoping the others would just leave him alone.

He slammed the door shut as soon as he reached his room, and breathed in deeply several times. He had had to sprint of the stairs to get away from those crazy people! Oh, gosh, the world was coming to an end! Riku looked up from the ground, and that was when he realized Sora was staring at him. _It's like he's staring through my very soul, _thought Riku. Sora had maddeningly beautiful eyes.

Riku smiled as he walked over to the brunet and sat down on the bed beside the boy. He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just said the first thing that popped into his head. It was Christmas. "It's getting to be that time of year again. Don't you just love Christmas?" Truth be told, Riku himself did not care for the holiday overly fondly. Whenever he thought of Christmas, he just thought of his crazy relatives all getting together and having a big party, everyone opening up gifts, and getting drunk. Riku didn't see what the big fuss was about the holiday, honestly.

Although, Riku could not help but get slightly excited himself, just a little bit. Despite all he had thought above, there was still something slightly special about Christmas. It was just so different from all the other holidays. Riku smiled slightly at the thought of his mother baking a gingerbread house. He remembered the year she had made an extremely beautiful one. His father was still alive back then. Riku did not realize the gingerbread house was for everyone, and he ended up eating the whole thing, and ended up sick for several days. Riku could not suppress the grin that planted itself on his face. He cherished those times. And then the grin dissolved into a sad little smile. He missed his father deeply.

Riku looked up to see Sora looked odd. He finally answered his question, after a long silence. "No, I don't," he answered softly.

Riku was taken aback at this. He thought everyone loved Christmas. Everyone in the orphanage was going crazy about it, so Riku figured it was quite odd that Sora didn't, indeed. He could not help himself but to ask further. "Why don't you like it, Sora?" he asked just as quietly.

Sora waited a long time before he answered, and he looked down at his bed, not able to look Riku straight in the eye, and not able to look outside, either. "That's when...it happened." Sora's voice came out chocked, even more distant than ever. Riku suddenly felt like his heart had stopped.

He did not really know whether he was speaking or not, but something came out his voice, so he figured it must be so. "What happened?"

There was another long absence before words were once more spoken, but Sora managed to find his voice. "We... I-it was Christmas Eve, a-and…and we had gone to see Daddy's business friends before heading back ho—home."

_It was Christmas Eve, and snow covered the ground everywhere you looked. The snow looked as if it were the Earth's blanket. Sora Hikari happily skipped down the stairs and into the snow. He then fell backwards, giggling as he made a snow angel. Something cold dropped on his nose. He looked up at the brilliant sky. It was snowing again._

"_Mommy!" he called, as his mother came to stand beside him. "It's snowing again!"_

_Mrs. Hikari laughed softly. "Yes, it is, little one." She then turned to her husband, smiling._

_Sora shot up like a light and stood beside his father, taking a hold of his hand. "Oh, Daddy, it's almost Christmas, can you believe it?" he exclaimed excitedly._

_Mr. Hikari laughed. "It certainly is. Are you excited, Sora?"_

_The trio walked closer to their car, and Mr. Hikari opened up the car door, instructing for Sora to climb in. "Yes, Daddy, I can hardly wait!" Mr. Hikari buckled his seatbelt, and then went to the front of the car, getting behind the wheel. Mr. Hikari then started the car and began to drive home._

"_Daddy, do you think Santa will come?" the boy asked, wide-eyed._

_Mr. Hikari smiled. "He most certainly will, Sora, but only if you go to sleep quickly. Otherwise, Santa won't be able to give you your gift."_

_And just like that, Sora closed his eyes and soon fell asleep._

"I-I...I had fallen asleep, but it—it was beginning to snow r-really hard, and it…it was so dark. Daddy couldn't see well."

_The snow was now beating down hard on the windshield, it seemed like it was nearly a blizzard. Mr. Hikari had the windshield wipers on the highest setting, and still it was so hard to see. "We'll be home in about ten minutes," he informed his wife._

_She smiled. "Our little Sora is growing up so fast. I can hardly believe he is already six. It seems just like yesterday he was my little baby and he couldn't even walk."_

_Mr. Hikari laughed. "Well, Sora's going to be a fine man, some day. He will surely make us proud."_

"_I wonder what our grandchildren will be like," said Mrs. Hikari, smiling brightly. "I bet they'll have Sora's spiky hair."_

_Mr. Hikari laughed. There was silence for a minute, and then Mr. Hikari said, "Gee, it certainly is snowing a lot, isn't? I can hardly see a thing."_

"A-and…and there was a deer in the road. Daddy didn't see it soon enough." At this, Sora's voice failed him. He let out a choked sob, his eyes watering increasingly.

_Sora was calmly asleep in the backseat, and Mrs. Hikari turned around to glance at him. She smiled brightly, and then turned around again. Her eyes widened. "Zach, it's a deer!" she shouted._

_Mr. Hikari immediately swerved, barely missing the deer, resulting in their car flipping over and rolling down the hill._

"Th-they died immediately. They were such good people. They shouldn't have died. It should have been me instead! I should have been the one that died!" Sora finally lost control and let the tears roll down his face. Riku took in a shuddery breath and wiped at his eyes. "A-and now I'm stuck like this, utterly useless. If only they had lived instead. I haven't even been outside since I've come here." The tears continued to roll down Sora's face, and he wiped at them with the back of his hand.

Riku did not know what to say, he wondered if it would be better if he left Sora alone, he had only met the boy a few days ago, he probably didn't even like him. He should probably leave. Riku took in a deep breath. "Sora, I'm so sorry," he said quietly, his voice barely even a whisper. It seemed like his voice had been taken away from him, Riku wondered if he had ever been able to speak.

Sora said nothing, and the tears were gone now, and he turned his gaze once more to the window. "It's been so long…since I've been outside," he said quietly.

Riku's eyes suddenly widened. He stood up and ran for the door, calling out, "I'll be right back!" He quickly slammed the door shut. Sora stared at where his form had been but seconds ago. "Ri…ku."

* * *

Now, currently, it was dinnertime at Destiny Orphanage (the name of the orphanage Axel was helping with), and this drew quite a few complications. First and foremost, Axel and Roxas had been assigned to sit directly beside each other. Roxas looked like he was about to blow a fuse at this news. He grudgingly sat beside the redhead.

Now, for dinner, they were having soup, and it was a well-known fact amongst Axel's friends that he always slurped his soup, and if you weren't used to this, it could be quite annoying, indeed. So, Axel slurped his soup, and the whole time, Roxas looked as if he were about to go insane. He was not able to concentrate on anything _but_ those loud noises. No one else seemed to notice them, and Roxas thought they were out of their minds. Roxas then dropped his spoon.

He groaned and bent down under the table to pick it up, but it seemed like Axel had already done the same thing, and they both reached out to grab the spoon at the same time, their hands touching

Roxas' blue eyes widened in horror. "What the hell are you doing, Volcanohead?" he snapped, his voice quite a bit higher than usual, immediately recoiling his hand as if it were burned.

"I was trying to get your spoon!" said Axel, affronted. Seriously, what was this kid's problem?

"Well, don't! It's mine and I can get it!"

Axel held out the spoon to Roxas. Roxas took it abrasively. He then glared at Axel for a long time. They both then came out from under the table and resumed their dinner, Roxas cringing the entire time Axel slurped his soup. Roxas' eye kept twitching, and finally, he could take it no longer. He stood up harshly, making some of the dishes on the table shake. Everyone stared at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. He then ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Axel stared at his retreating form, with one last longing look at his soup, he stood up and ran after him; Axel himself wasn't even quite sure why. Roxas seemed like he hated him, so why should _he_ be the one to run after him? It was utter lunacy!

"Roxas, wait!" Axel called, finally catching up with the blond. Roxas stopped at the sound of his voice. He began to twitch and turned around to face Axel.

"Why the hell did you follow me?" asked Roxas, stomping towards Axel.

"I don't know why I did!" Axel yelled. "Just...just what is your problem?"

Roxas poked a finger in Axel's chest. "YOU!" he shouted. "You are my problem, Volcanohead! Just leave me alone, will ya?"

"No, I won't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm curious as to why the hell you don't like me!"

Roxas looked enraged. "How** DARE** you swear at me!"

Axel looked utterly bewildered. "But _you_ just swore yourself!"

"That is entirely beside the point!"

And so, it continued to go on and on. It seemed Axel and Roxas were like a cat and a dog. They simply could not get along. Axel was the dog, for he actually wanted to be friendly, but Roxas was a cat, and he hissed at Axel and refused to be friends with him. Yes, that was exactly like it was.

* * *

Riku slammed the door once more as he returned at the orphanage, everyone staring at him in curiosity. He rushed up the stairs like a blur, something in tow with him. Tifa stared at him like she had never seen the silver-haired boy before in her life. But he was already up the stairs once more; he was completely out of sight.

He reached the door to their room and burst it open, a mad grin on his face; Sora stared at him in surprise. Riku had something with him. He furrowed his brows together. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

"It's a wheelchair," he answered, the wild grin still intact on his face.

"But why is it here?" Sora asked quietly.

"Get in," said Riku. "You haven't been outside in years, right? Well, come on, let's go."

Sora still had a blank expression on his face. "A-are you serious?" He looked down at his bed, no longer looking at Riku.

"You betcha I am," said Riku. Before Sora knew what was happening, Riku had walked over to him and picked him up in his arms (bridal style) and carried him over to the wheelchair.

_My, my, Riku, whatever are you doing?_ asked the voice.

_I'm doing something nice for once in my life,_ Riku answered.

_Well, it's about time,_ said the voice.

Riku merely smiled and set Sora down in the wheelchair. Sora looked up at him, his blue eyes staring into his very soul. The corners of his mouth then twitched upwards ever so slightly in a very small smile. Riku felt like swooning. He then stopped himself mentally. What the heck was happening to him? As Riku glanced again at Sora's smile, he realized something.

_Something's wrong with it,_ he thought. _Something I can't quite put my finger on. It's like it's…it's like it's an empty smile._ Riku suddenly felt sad again. He wanted to make Sora's smile complete. He swore some day he would see a wonderful, whole smile on Sora's face.

Riku then walked over to his bag and pulled out several things. "It's very cold out, Sora, so it's best if you wear these." He gave his jacket—and—even his special scarf. He zipped up Sora's jacket and wrapped the scarf around his neck snuggly.

Sora said something so quietly that Riku didn't hear it. "What?"

"But what about you?"he asked. "W-what…what about your jacket?"

"Ah, it's all right. I have another one. You can have that one."

Truth be told, Riku's other jacket was so thin compared to his other one, he wasn't even quite sure why he brought it in the first place. Wait…his mother had packed his bag. Well, that explains it all. But Riku was not going to give Sora his bad jacket. He was going to keep that boy warm, dammit!

The two boys then reached the stairs, and suddenly, something occurred to Riku that he hadn't thought of before. "Oh, no…" he said slowly, his mouth falling agape. "The stairs. Blast it all!" he grumbled. Riku crossed his arms. This was an awful predicament, that it was.

But nothing was going to stop Riku from taking Sora out today, and damn it, he was going to do it! He took in a deep breath. "Hang on tight, Sora, it's going to be a bumpy ride." He then went down the first step, it making a loud noise and bump as they went down. He apologized, and tried to go down the next steps as gingerly as possible, but it was not much use, for it was very hard, indeed. This place needed a ramp. They continued to go down the stairs, making a horrid racket the entire time. Finally, they made it all the way down the stairs.

And this is when Riku realized that everyone in the room was staring at him. He blinked. Several times. "Eheh," he said, laughing nervously. "Well, we'll be going now!" And with that, Riku quickly pushed Sora to the door and was out with a slam.

Tifa watched his retreating form, and said quietly, "I wonder if he'll be the one..."

Once Riku and Sora were outside, they had to go down the small set of stairs outside as well. When they were finally down and going along on the sidewalk, Riku wished all the stairs in the world would burn. _They're evil,_ he thought to himself. _I wish they would all go to hell!_

"Where would you like to go, Sora?" Riku asked him.

Sora mumbled something; Riku didn't catch it. "What was that?" he asked softly.

"I would like to go the park, please," Sora repeated, slightly louder.

"The park it is, then," declared Riku, smiling as he pushed Sora's wheelchair along. Gosh, it really was cold out today. Riku sadly missed the company of his special scarf. "Today is a lovely day, isn't it, Sora?" Riku said after a moment of silence.

"It is," agreed the brunet.

Riku smiled as he pushed Sora further along the sidewalk. The ground was slightly frosted over, so Riku had to make sure not to lose hold of Sora, or fall on the ground, or something like that. The sun was beaming down on them, melting away some of the snow on the ground. Riku noticed something up ahead. It was a vendor selling hot chocolate. Riku stopped pushing Sora for a moment. "Would you care for one, Sora?" he asked.

"If…if it's all right," said Sora, his words sounding mumbled.

"Well, it is. It's so darn cold out today, we both need some hot chocolate to warm us up, don't we?" Riku put the break on the wheelchair and then walked over to the man and ordered two hot chocolates. He handed him his money and told the man to keep the change. As Riku went back to Sora, he was puzzled. He never told people to keep the change, he always wanted every last penny back. It was…strange, but felt good. In a peculiar way.

"Here you go, Sora," he said as he handed the boy his hot chocolate. "It's hot, so be careful."

"Thank you," said Sora quietly, that slight, barely-a-smile-at all-smile on his face once more. Riku smiled himself as he sipped his hot chocolate. He cursed in his head. He burned his tongue! It was too hot, dammit!

The two boys soon reached the park, and they strolled through it lazily, just having a leisurely time. Riku felt a strange feeling suddenly. He never just came to the park like this, but it felt oddly satisfying. He rather enjoyed it. He made a mental note to himself to do this again some time. And hopefully, it would be with Sora.

Riku sighed, feeling content. "Are you glad you came out today, Sora?" he asked.

"Yes," said Sora clearly, his voice actually not a whisper for once, "I am. Thank...you."

"It is my pleasure."

The sun was now just setting, and Riku stopped moving Sora for a moment, and just stared at it. He shivered when a cold breeze hit them suddenly. He then noticed that Sora breathed in deeply just at that moment as the wind hit them. He also noticed that the boy looked…could it be? Content. Riku hoped it was so. It must feel wonderful to be out in the fresh air like this, after being cooped up in that orphanage for so many years. He wondered what it would feel like to not be outside, to not feel the wind blow against you, or the sun beam down on your face. It must be…simply dreadful. Riku shuddered at the mere thought. He would take Sora out many times after this. After all, he had bought the wheelchair. (He had used one of his mother's credit cards.)

"Do you wish to go anywhere else, Sora?"

"No," he answered quietly, looking at the beautiful clouds; the sunset making them look like different colors. "If it is all right, I just want to stay here…a little longer."

"Then that is what we shall do."

* * *

It was now 8:30 at Destiny Orphanage, and Axel was just getting ready to head home, saying goodbye to the various people there. He spotted the blond that tormented his very existence lying lazily on a chair in the room, once again tossing that old, rugged baseball. It looked like it was nearly falling apart.

Axel cleared his throat and walked over to the blond. He was going to get this Roxas to like him if it were the last thing he would do! (And it probably would be, too—_ooh_, rhyme!) "Goodbye, Roxas."

Roxas did not look at him. All he said was, "Goodbye, Volcanohead."

Axel sighed and sat down beside the boy. "Really, Roxas, can't we at least try and get along? I'm a nice guy, really." At this, Roxas snorted. "I know, I can be freaky, and it takes a little while to get used to me, but all I ask is that you give me a chance—all right?"

Roxas stopped tossing the baseball and looked at Axel for a moment. Suddenly, he let out a small chuckle. He smiled up at Axel, and Axel cheered in his head. Hurrah! He had done it! "Not on your life, Volcanohead." Suddenly, the little Axel in Axel's head stopped mid-jump and fell flat down on his face. Damn it, he was so close!

"Fine!" Axel huffed. "Just be that way, for all I care!" Axel then marched to the door, but before he left, he turned back and said, "But mark my words, Roxas, you and I _will_ be friends, even if my life depends on it!"

"It probably will!" Roxas called out, but Axel didn't hear him for he had already slammed the door shut behind him. Roxas then let out a low laugh and returned to tossing his baseball once more.

* * *

Riku and Sora had just arrived back at the orphanage, and he realized he would have to go up that big set of stairs with this wheelchair. Riku gulped. Suddenly, a light bulb lit above his head (not literally, folks). He just took Sora in his arms and carried him up the stairs. Riku cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to go down the stairs, then.

Riku placed Sora back in his bed, and Sora gave him back his jacket and scarf. "Thank you…for everything," the boy said softly.

"You're welcome," said Riku, smiling radiantly. Sora felt the breath hitch in his throat. "Well, I'm going back downstairs, Sora. I'll bring up your dinner soon."

Riku went downstairs and headed into the kitchen, surprisingly finding Cloud there. When Cloud spotted Riku, he looked so relieved. "Oh, Riku, you're finally back! Your phone has been ringing frantically the entire time you were gone."

Riku cursed under his breath. Why had he forgotten his phone? He took his phone from Cloud and checked the number. His aquamarine eyes widened considerably. Oh, no…! He called the number back, and it rang once before someone picked up immediately. "Oh, Riku!" the voice said. "Why didn't you ever answer me? Whatever happened to you? What were you doing? Why didn't you take your phone?"

Riku pulled the phone away from his ear slightly. Gee, his mom acted all crazy and everything, but she could seriously get worried, too. It had increased tenfold after his father had died. "Mom—Mom, it's all right. I just went outside for a while with someone and forgot my phone. I know, I know. I'm always supposed to take it. I thought I did." Somehow, Riku had managed to calm his mother down, and now she was back to her usual, crazy self.

"Oh, Riku, darling! I miss you so much! Oh, I never thought it would be this hard to have my baby away from me! Promise me when you go to college you'll go here, otherwise, I'll kill you, so it won't matter if you go to another college or not. I already have to deal with your brother going to a different one." Riku noticed Cloud was looking at him, amused. Oh, no, he could surely hear the whole conversation. Well, this was just a bummer, wasn't it?

"That is it! It is all settled!" declared Kazumi suddenly. Riku was puzzled. He had tuned her out. Oh, no, what was settled? What?

"What, Mom?"

"I'm going to come over to your orphanage soon!"

Riku's eyes widened in horror. Oh, no, anything but that! "No, no, Mom, it's fine, it's fine. You don't have to come over!"

"Now, Riku, don't be silly. I'm coming over and that's final. **End of discussion**."

Riku sighed. It was set in stone now. "All right, all right."

"Well, Riku, I must be going now, your brother is causing a ruckus in my kitchen. Honestly, it is only _I_ that can go in my kitchen! What on earth is he doing?" And with that, she hung up.

Riku sighed. He hoped his mother would forget about it and not end up coming, but he knew that probably would not happen. The worst of it all was that his mother didn't even say _when_ she would be coming. She could just drop in any time! How would he be prepared for it?

"Was that your mother?" Cloud suddenly asked.

Riku looked up, startled. He had forgotten Cloud was there! "Oh, yes...yes it was."

"She seems nice," said Cloud, smiling.

Riku smiled as well. "Yeah—yeah, she really is."

* * *

That night, as Riku lay in his bed, attempting to sleep, he turned to look at Sora. He was sleeping in the bed right beside his, after all. He noticed he brunet was still awake, but for once, he wasn't looking out the window like he normally did.

"Goodnight, Sora," said Riku softly, a small yawn escaping his lips.

"Goodnight, Riku," said Sora just as softly.

After that, Riku fell asleep easily, all his dreams consumed by Sora yet again.

* * *

**1**– Bwahaha. I couldn't think of any other FF/KH characters I wanted in here—so instead I added in Marth from Fire Emblem! I swear, I love him.

**Next chapter:** It's not written yet, but I know these three things are going to happen: A very special person will drop in at Riku's orphanage (-wink wink nudge nudge-), Axel will be in an accident, and Riku and Sora will get even closer. YAY! I also want to include some LeonxCloud—hmm, we shall see.

All right, all right. I am back. I swear it! Heh. I think my writing style has changed somewhat. Mmm. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. This chapter is way different than how it was before I deleted it, especially with Axel and Roxas. But I like it better this way. I love having Axel suffer. Haha. He's just such a funny guy. XD

Well, I'll see you next time on AUG—and don't forget to **review**! I'll love you forever if you do.

**Riku:** Who would want that?


	5. You Drive Me Crazy

Yay! Yay! I seriously _am_ back. I told you I was. XD See, so here is the next chapter, the fifth chapter! I really like this chapter—and had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you all enjoy reading it.

Since it is nearly Christmas, I want to wish all my readers/reviewers a Merry Christmas! I hope you all have fun. My uncle and cousin are coming in on Saturday. My sister and I are going to go pick them up. I can hardly wait! As a little note, as well-I expect to update every couple weeks or so. Sometimes it may be sooner, and sometimes longer, but I hope you all can just bare with me. At least I won't take nearly a year to update again. xD

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to help them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** Despite what I said in the last disclaimer, I do not own KH. –Cries a thousand tears that form a river and drown her- Uh-oh…

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** Keep the reviews coming, people! Over forty people have added this to their alerts-and I'm just curious...if you like the story enough to have it on your alerts, why not leave a little review? Even more so if you have it on your favorites. A few little words in a review make my day. That's all it takes. So please read this chapter, and leave even a few words in a review, if you enjoyed it at all. Thank you.

**Special Note: **All right, people. The two winners for the last chapter were** axeleah, **and **Undying Lover. **Congratulations to you both! I am currently working on your one-shots, and hope to have them posted soon.

**A/N:** All right, all right, here we go. My cold is finally gone! –Cheers- I can finally breathe! –Takes deep breath- Hurrah! This chapter is completely different from how I wrote it before (though I had just started it, to be honest). But I really love it this way, especially the AkuRoku moments. I seriously love them. I suppose you could say it's a bit more filler, this chapter. Well, actually it's not. Especially with Axel. But Riku and Sora must get closer (slowly) for the story to move on, you know. XD Well, on to the story!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 5. You Drive Me Crazy

-o-

"_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks." - _**Samuel Johnson**

* * *

It was now the next day, December 6th, and Riku woke up very early that morning. He looked around the room, seeing that everyone else was asleep. It was strange, for Riku felt rather alert for just having woken up like this. He turned his head to look at Sora, seeing the boy in a serene-looking sleep.

Riku's aquamarine eyes softened when he saw Sora. He looked... _Angelic,_ thought Riku...in his sleep. Riku then realized that this was the first time he had ever seen Sora asleep. He before wondered if the boy ever slept, because he always just saw him staring out the window. Riku thought back to the events of yesterday. Every time he thought about...the accident Sora had been in, taking his parents' lives and the feeling in his legs, Riku's heart...could it possibly be? It felt like his heart ached. Like all of a sudden, he felt hallow. His heart clenched, thinking about it once more.

Riku gripped at his chest. _Why do I hurt so?_ he thought.

Riku stood up out of the bed, grabbed his backpack and went off to take a shower. He glanced at the clock as he did so. Riku looked disturbed. It was 6:37! Why the heck was he up so early? Riku's brows furrowed in thought. He had fallen asleep so easily last night—that so rarely happened. So often, it took him an hour or even more. **(1)** Riku thought it was rather strange, indeed.

* * *

After he was all ready, Riku zipped up his jacket and just decided to take a little morning stroll as the sun began to rise. It was chilly out, but yet oddly warm, for the sun was melting away some of the snow, and it warmed up Riku ever so slightly. The ground was no longer icy at all, but slightly wet, since it had melted. There was a slight morning frost on the cars around, and Riku shuddered at the thought of how cold it probably was inside the cars.

Riku slipped his hood over his head, and walked briskly along the sidewalk. His stomach suddenly let out a low grumble; Riku stopped walking immediately, an odd expression on his face. _Oh, damn it!_ he thought. _I meant to eat a banana before I left!_ Riku cursed himself mentally, kicking a rock in front of him. It nearly hit a cat that was on top of a trashcan. Riku laughed nervously as the cat looked at him and hissed.

_Oh my gosh,_ thought Riku. _That cat is black and has red eyes... It's a devil-cat!_ Riku scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ehehe—nice kitty. Oh, what a handsome cat you are. I bet all the girl cats are looking at you." Yes, Riku Sugisaki had surely lost his mind, gone mad, nutters, insane, crazy, loopy, gone mental, daft, loony, bonkers...I could go on and on, but to get the point across: Riku was sweet-talking to a cat so it would not kill him. Riku had had a bad experience with a cat when he was five. It took five stitches to fix 'im up. So Riku himself was rather scared of cats, and thought they were evil and were the spawn of Satan. **(2)**

The cat hissed. It seemed to say: "I'm a female, you dimwitted human!"

Riku laughed nervously again, backing away slowly and calmly. (He didn't know the cat was a girl! Wait...did he understand the language of cats?) He needed to have a strategy here. For he was dealing with a cat, after all, and we all know that cats are evil masterminds. The cat walked closer to Riku, refusing to let him get away.

Riku suddenly screwed strategy and went off running in the direction of the orphanage like he was on fire (although you should never run when you are on fire, even if you want to—yes, I know it's tempting, but you must refrain). The black cat immediately took off after him, it seemed she was running just as quickly as he was. That was odd, for Riku was good at every sport really, and excelled at running. This cat seemed to be the same, for she was surely giving Riku a run for his money.

"Oh, fuck! She's gonna kill me!" Riku screamed in horror as he pumped his arms and legs rapidly back and forth even faster than before. He was going to run out of breath soon, for he was sprinting like hell. But the cat pressed on, only slightly behind Riku. Riku suddenly cursed himself in thought for deciding to go on a morning walk in the first place—was he mental or something?

_Yes, Riku, I believe you are mental,_ said the voice suddenly.

_Gack!_ thought Riku. _All I need right now to make my life even worse is __**you**__! Get out of my head!_

Somehow, Riku managed to get inside the orphanage and slammed the door shut before the cat could leap in after him. He was panting and sweating, and he slowly slid down against the door, completely exhausted.

"What happened to you?" asked Cloud, yawning, for he had just woken up a little while ago.

"Don't...ask..." Riku said, out of breath.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders and went off to get ready for the morning.

* * *

Axel had had the hardest time falling asleep last night (unlike a certain silver-haired boy); and he basically looked like a wreck when he arrived at Destiny Orphanage. When Rinoa opened the door to let him in, she gasped and dropped the glass bowl she had been holding, preparing a salad for lunch later. Axel merely slouched and shuffled through the door, basically acting like a zombie.

Oh? You wonder why it was so hard for Axel to fall asleep last night? Well, I shall tell you. You see, a certain blond boy consumed his every thought, and he found it _extremely _difficult to drift off—and once he finally managed to go to sleep—he had a horrid dream that he and Roxas were the two sole people left on the Earth; and that they had to have children to repopulate the planet. But this would not do, because Roxas hated him in his dream just as much as he really hated him. So they were doomed to die. Axel woke up sweating like mad and was unable to fall asleep again that night.

And so, with Rinoa still looking horrified, Axel walked over to the couch and collapsed on it. Zell shrieked with horror when he saw him. The boy looked positively horrid!

Roxas had the impeccable timing of going down the stairs that very second. First thing when he spotted Axel, his lips began to jerk upwards. Then, he began to snicker softly. He pointed a finger at Axel, and was soon clutching his side, laughing uncontrollably. Axel looked up at the boy and growled out, "I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I will kill you."

Roxas smirked, still laughing slightly. "I thought the last thing you were going to do was be my friend."

Axel grunted. "First you'll be my friend, and _then _I'll kill you."

Roxas snorted. "You really are a freak, Volcanohead," he stated, staring at Axel oddly as he came the rest of the way down the stairs. He sat down in a chair across from Axel, baseball in tow.

"Why, thank you, Roxas," said Axel as he covered his eye with his gloved hand.

"You know, that wasn't a compliment, Volcanohead."

"I was being sarcastic."

"You act different when you're sleep deprived," Roxas noted, arching an eyebrow. Hmph. This Axel wasn't as freaky or funny. He just acted...dead.

Rinoa suddenly burst into the room, looking quite worried. "Axel, dear, have you had breakfast yet?"

Axel shook his head. He had been so sleepy as he left this morning, he had completely forgotten about it. His mother was still asleep, so she wasn't able to remind him. If only he had remembered to grab a cereal bar or a banana or something. His throat was rather dry, too. He was thirsty.

Rinoa looked even more worried now. "All right, well, you come into the kitchen, and I'll get you something right away. Food gives you energy, after all. A good breakfast is especially important. We'll get you a breakfast fixed right up." It seemed like Rinoa was acting like a worried mother. Axel got up slowly and managed to make it into the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen, and Roxas witnessed a normal, perky, crazy Axel come through the door. As soon as he spotted his insane grin, Roxas said dryly, "Gee, I liked you better when you were a zombie."

Axel's grin melted away. "You know, you're a rather mean person."

"I know." Roxas tossed the baseball into the air again, watching Axel out of the corner of his eye.

Axel then sighed and scratched his arm. "You know, I still mean the whole thing about you being my friend."

"Whatever, Volcanohead."

"And I don't really want to kill you, after all," Axel said, wishing Roxas would pay attention to him at all. _At least __**look**__ at me, damn it!_ he thought.

"Whatever you want to do is fine by me, Volcanohead. We both know that you wouldn't have the guts to kill me, anyway."

Axel's eye twitched. He may not have an anger meter like Riku, but the anger inside of him was most certainly boiling up, that is was. And Roxas only seemed to egg it on even further. Like a cat taunting a dog (**Riku:**- Oh, the horror of cats! **Miss Star:** I'll let you play with my cats now, darling Riku. **Riku:** Please, anything but that! **Miss Star:** Then stay out of this!) "I hope you have a good day, Roxas." And with that, Axel stood up and left.

Roxas watched his retreating form. It was rather...odd, but he found he actually...sort of…kind of...missed the annoying presence of the pyromaniac.

* * *

Riku had somehow finally managed to recover over the horror of the demented cat, and everyone in the orphanage was quite curious as to why Riku was acting so strange, indeed.

Reno had said to Cloud, "I bet it's because he's finally realized he's gay." Cloud blushed at this. Reno laughed. "Come on now, Cloud, you know you're gay, too. You've got to stop being so jumpy about it. Now why don't you go and look for Squall...er...Leon. Whatever his name is, anyway."

Cloud laughed. "Yeah, I guess I'll go see Leon now."

Reno smirked as he watched Cloud walk away. "How can they be so utterly clueless?" He let out a low laugh, as he turned to glance at Riku, to see him jump as Larxene neared him. Yup, something was seriously wrong with the boy. Reno then decided he would have a little fun. After all, Kadaj was ignoring him right now. He was in a rather bad mood, and nothing could get Kadaj out of his bad mood, and it seemed like Reno was not helping in the slightest. It was rather odd, indeed. One would wonder how they were even dating...

He walked over to Riku, and sat down beside the silver-haired boy, Riku jumping immediately and yelling, "Demented son of a—" And then he looked at Reno, and finished his exclamation, thinking it entirely fit Reno, "—bitch!"

Reno sighed. "Really, Riku, you must remember to not swear in front of the children." Reno then took a sip of tea from his tea cup (pinky finger extended), which seemed to have come out of nowhere. Now really, where _had_ that cup of tea come from?

"Oh, would you shut the hell up? You swear all the time, I hear you," Riku retorted, crossing his arms and legs.

Reno jerked for a second, the cup clanging against the saucer slightly. Reno then smiled. "I do not swear, Riku darling."

Riku turned to Reno. "Yes, you do! I hear you all the time! Always grumbling under your breath, it doesn't mean people still can't hear it!"

"I do not!" Reno insisted, leaning in towards Riku.

Riku leaned in further. "You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Do not!"

And it continued to go and on, and right in the middle of their little spat, Zexion passed them, in the middle of reading a rather interesting book. He lifted his eyes from it for a moment and stared at them. "Just go ahead and kiss already," he said as he walked away.

Riku and Reno then gagged. Immediately the memory of Reno kissing Riku popped into the silver-haired boy's head; add this on top of the demented cat, Riku felt like he would die. Riku then thought, _Why don't you just kill me now? Send down a lightning bolt or something—please! I'm beggin' ya here!_

Reno stared at Riku icily. "As if you could ever compare to my Kadaj! Forget the fact that you two look freakishly alike, since you aren't related in any way!"

Riku's eyebrows rose at this. "Oh, give me a break! _You_ were the one that kissed _me_, you fucking idiot!" This time, Reno did not comment on Riku's swearing. Riku smirked mentally. He had so won!

Reno gasped. "How _dare_ you imply it that way! I only did that to freak those people out—and come on, it was so much fun and you know it."

"I do not!"

"You do too!"

And so, the argument continued.

* * *

It was lunchtime now, and Riku was just heading up the stairs to deliver Sora's lunch to him. Riku could not hold back the giddy smile that popped up on his face at the thought of seeing the boy again. He had grown so used to the three times he delivered Sora his meals, and he could not imagine anything else he would rather do.

Riku then stopped walking. Wait...what had he just thought? _I...I didn't mean that_, he said in thought.

The voice then sighed. _Oh, really, Riku, why can't you ever admit your feelings for once? You like the boy and you want to be around him, and wouldn't want to do anything else instead. Is that really so bad?_

Riku paused. _Yes, yes, it is bad. How can this one boy have changed my life so much in just these few, short days? I haven't even known him for a week yet!_

_But Riku, you were doing so well. I hadn't had to come out lately. And now that you've finally recovered from the horror of that cat, I thought maybe you could actually have a good today. But obviously, I was wrong, you big idiot,_ said the voice.

Riku groaned aloud. _Don't call me an idiot!_ he thought.

_But, Riku...I am you, so it is technically yourself that is calling you an idiot,_ said the voice.

Riku frowned at this. The voice had a point, after all. Finally, Riku said to the voice in his head, _All right, all right. I like Sora. There. I want to spend time with him. Big deal. I don't care anymore._

_Finally!_ exclaimed the voice, cheering.

Riku rolled his eyes and ignored the voice, as he made the last few steps to where Sora was. He smiled as he neared the boy, saying, "Hello, Sora."

Sora looked away from the window and turned to look at Riku instead. Riku then noticed how dirty the window was. How could Sora even see out of it properly? "Hello, Riku."

Riku handed him his food and plopped down beside the boy. Sora did not move to eat any of his food. Riku frowned. Sora still seemed to have a bit of a problem eating. Riku wanted to see the boy actually eat a decent amount of food. He was too skinny, after all. "Go ahead and eat," Riku said.

"But I don't really feel hungry..." Sora trailed off.

Riku groaned at this and stood back up, leaning over the boy. "Sora, you've got to eat. You may not feel hungry, but your body needs food to live—and you need good nutrition, too."

"But I—"

"No buts," Riku interrupted, shaking his head. He then grabbed Sora's fork and held it up to his mouth. "If you aren't going to feed yourself, then I'll do it for you."

Sora's cheeks grew crimson as the fork neared his mouth, and then took it from Riku. "Fine," he said, "I'll eat."

Riku then plopped back down on his bed, a satisfied grin on his face.

Sora ate several bites of the food, and then he said, "It's...good."

"Of course it is," said Riku. Sora continued to eat, and Riku just watched the brunet for a little while, taking in his characteristics. Like how after every sip of water he took, he would shake his head slightly afterwards, as if he were wet himself; and like how he so often cocked his head to the side slightly, which Riku had to admit was rather cute; and the boy always took extremely small bites of food, and chewed it slowly and thoroughly. One thing was for sure, it was very unlikely that the boy would ever choke.

"Hey, Sora..." Riku said, crossing his arms.

Sora turned his head to look at Riku. He did not speak until he swallowed his food. "Yes?"

"Would you like to go see a movie?" he asked the brunet.

Sora's intensely blue eyes widened slightly at the question. He could not remember the last time he had watched a movie... His answer was soft and slow, "Y-yes...I would like to very much, thank you."

Riku grinned as the brunet finished up his meal. After he was done, Riku picked him up in his arms and carried him down the stairs and into the wheelchair. A much easier way to do it compared to what he had done yesterday, indeed.

* * *

Axel was rather frustrated. He was helping the kids in Destiny Orphanage, but his thoughts were trailing off to different things. Namely, a certain blond boy named Roxas who tormented his very existence and would not leave him the hell alone. Well, that last part was not true, for Roxas actually _did_ ignore Axel. It was that the boy would not leave his _thoughts_ the hell alone. Yes, that is more the actual truth.

Axel was currently braiding a girl's hair, and truth be told, Axel was not very good with hair to begin with. He accidentally tugged on her hair too hard, for he was thinking of the infuriating blond.

"Ouch!" she said, bringing Axel back to reality. "That hurt!"

Axel quickly apologized and resumed his hair braiding, and soon his thoughts once again trailed off to Roxas. He was not even quite sure himself why he was so obsessed with the blond, for truth be told, the blond usually ignored him, and it was usually Axel who always went up to him. So why should he even be so obsessed with him if he mostly left him alone?

_Roxas, you utterly and completely drive me crazy!_ Axel thought, grumbling as he finished the braid. _You are such an evil bastard. Why won't you leave my thoughts alone?_ On cue, Axel gripped his head.

Roxas then just happened to be coming by and stared at Axel for a moment. "Gee, Volcanohead, are you trying to finally figure out where your brain went?"

Axel growled and walked away, Roxas actually followed after him down the hallway. Axel stopped before the stairs, Roxas stopped, too. "Roxas, did you ever realize how mean you are?"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in mock thought. "Hm…you know, I never really considered it before." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Why do you not like me, anyway? I see you get along with other people here—why am I so different from them?" Axel really looked...hurt.

For a moment, Roxas was taken aback. Gee, sad Volcanohead was no fun. This was no good. "Y-you're not really different from them," Roxas quickly said, slipping his hands into his pockets and shrugging his shoulders. He walked over to be in front of Axel.

Axel raised an eyebrow at Roxas. "Were you actually nice to me just now?" Oh, there he had to go and do it! Axel obviously ruined the whole thing. Tsk, tsk.

Roxas' eyes immediately widened. Oh, no, what had he done? He took a step backwards, saying, "Pssh. Are you kidding me? I would never _dream_ of such a thing, Volcanohead." He took another step back, wanting to be as far away from the redhead as possible. As Roxas took that next step backwards, though, he realized his foot had landed on nothing. His eyes grew wide as it seemed like everything moved in slow motion; he was falling backwards.

Axel's emerald eyes grew wide as well, as he lunged forward and grabbed Roxas, tumbling forward down the stairs, but holding the blond close, shielding him from the fall. They went down the entire staircase, and once they finally reached the bottom, Axel was quite bruised and hurt, but Roxas didn't have a scratch on him.

Roxas immediately got off Axel and shouted, "Are you okay?"

Axel merely smiled. "I'm fine." He then attempted to sit up. To be honest, it was **not** a wise decision. "AHH!" Axel screamed out, his back crying in pain. Roxas immediately pushed him back down against the floor. Several other people then came over at that moment.

"Axel!" Rinoa cried. "What on earth happened?"

Axel lifted his head. "I saved Roxas." He then hit his head against the floor, and fell unconscious.

Roxas growled. "That idiot!" he muttered under his breath. "What the hell was he thinking?"

"Seifer, come over here!" Rinoa called to the blond. "Come and help Axel!" Seifer then sprang out of the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. He ran over to Axel and picked him up and laid him down on the couch. "Zell, get some ice!" Rinoa called to the other blond. He did so and the ice pack was laid on Axel's face, where a brown bruise was already developing on his left cheek.

Roxas was fuming in the corner. Why had Volcanohead done that? Was he absolutely crazy? He got hurt really bad—and it was all because he was trying to save Roxas. _Why would he do something like that?_ thought Roxas. Finally, Axel had regained consciousness. He was hurt badly in several places, and had a lot of bruises, but it seemed nothing worse than that. It didn't seem like he had broken any bones, anyway. Roxas then went over to the redhead.

"Hey there, Roxas. How you doin'?" Axel asked, grinning.

Roxas clenched his hands into fists and barely repressed conking Axel on the head. After all, the redhead had already been through enough today. "W-why—why did you do that?" he asked slowly, his head cast down to the ground.

Axel answered immediately. "I couldn't let you fall down the stairs, Roxas."

"B-but—but you got really hurt," Roxas said, fumbling with his words.

"Pssh. That doesn't matter. I'm quite used to pain, anyway. I get hurt all the time. I'm a bit of a klutz. But I've never fallen down the stairs before like that."

"Not most people would do that," said Roxas, sounding quite different from how he usually sounded.

"Well, I'm not one of 'em, then," said he, moving the icepack to his knee. He hissed as it touched his knee. Okay, his knee _really_ hurt.

Roxas suddenly gripped his head. "You know...you really drive me crazy, Volcanohead."

"Glad to be of service to you," Axel said, grinning. He then winced in pain.

"What?" Roxas exclaimed, jumping slightly.

"My back hurts," he answered, frowning slightly.

Roxas sighed. "You know you're an idiot?"

"I know."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

* * *

Meanwhile, our two boys had just arrived at the movie theater. And they were currently having trouble deciding on what movie. "Well...what do you want to see, Sora?" Riku asked the brunet.

Sora fumbled with his words as he spoke. "U-um...I don't know...really..."

Riku suddenly had the thought in his head: _Sora is so damn cute_. He then stopped yet again that day. Wait...he thought Sora was cute?

_Oh, not this again,_ said the voice, sighing. _Riku, you shall be the death of me._

_Smartass,_ Riku said in return. _You __**are**__ me_.

Riku then resumed his thoughts, voice free. _You know what?_ Riku thought. _Screw it. I'm not going to question what I think anymore. I'm just going to go with the flow._ He then said to Sora, "Well, do you want to see the new animated movie? It looks really good."

Sora looked up at Riku, his blew eyes full of wonder. "That would...that would be nice. I mean, if you want to see it."

Riku smiled radiantly. "I would love to see it."

Sora smiled slightly as well, and suddenly Riku's heart ached. His smile was still so broken, that it just made Riku's heartstrings pull, and it made his heart full of sorrow. But Riku brushed away his sadness, not wanting to make Sora sad as well. He then paid for the two tickets, and they headed off to the snack bar. "Would you like popcorn, Sora?" Riku asked him.

"If you want it," Sora whispered, Riku barely hearing him.

"Well, I suppose my only option is to get it, then," said Riku as he walked to the cashier, ordering two drinks and a large popcorn. "What drink do you want, Sora?"

"Water's fine," he said quietly.

"All right then. A water and a Sunkist, please." Riku then took his drink and popcorn, and he then realized the problem carrying all this when he had to push Sora's wheelchair.

As if sensing his thoughts, Sora said, "I can carry the drinks."

Riku smiled. "That would be great, Sora." They were then on their way, Riku holding the popcorn bag under his arm and pushing Sora at the same time.

They entered the theater and Riku and Sora sat down in the handicapped section, sat back, and watched the previews start. Sora then mumbled something, startling Riku. "What was that?"

"I'm glad...that we came out today."

Riku smiled so brilliantly, it could perhaps blind a person. "I'm glad, too, Sora." The movie then began and they started to watch. Sora took three or four pieces of popcorn out of the bag, and Riku grinned to himself as he watched the movie. Sora really was cute.

_Bwahahaha,_ laughed the voice in thought.

_Oh, you shut up!_ Riku shot back.

* * *

Cloud turned to Leon and just stared at him for a moment, as the brunet fingered through the mail. "What is it, Cloud?" he finally asked the blond.

Cloud sighed and finally spoke. "I'm just curious about Riku. He seems to be leaving an awfully lot lately, without even telling any of us where he's going."

"He went with Sora to the movies," the brunet answered.

Cloud's eyes grew wide. "How did you know that?" he asked.

"I overheard Riku talk about it. Besides, Sora's not in his bed, so he obviously went somewhere with him."

Cloud let out another sigh as he thought over this. "Riku's really connecting to Sora, isn't he?"

Leon grunted. "It's about time someone got Sora to talk more. I couldn't be happier for him."

Cloud smiled at Leon. His eyes suddenly grew wide. He had just nearly said, "I love you." Where on earth had that come from? He didn't love Leon! That was utterly...absurd! _But it's true_, Cloud suddenly thought. He was in love with his best friend of many years, so he was left in an awful predicament.

Leon stopped looking through the mail and sat down across from the blond and looked at him. "What's really bothering you, Cloud?"

Cloud flushed slightly. "N-nothing. Nothing's bothering me." He then stood up. "I just remembered that I have to help Yuffie with something." He then quickly rushed out of the kitchen.

Leon grunted as he stared at spot where Cloud had been but seconds ago. "What's up with him?"

* * *

The movie had just ended, and the credits began to roll. Riku turned to Sora. "That was a really good movie," he commented.

"I really liked it," said Sora, closing the cap on his water bottle. "It was...funny." Sora let out a very small, soft chuckle. And Riku honestly thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

_Oh, really?_ said the voice.

Riku ignored the voice entirely. Sora's voice was already so sweet, so soft and beautiful, but his laugh...his _laugh_! And he had barely even laughed, but Riku thought it was lovely. It wasn't like when most people laughed; guffawing and snickering-it was soft and sweet, and nearly sounded angelic. Riku felt his heart thump against his chest. What was happening to him?

He turned back to look at Sora and smiled at the brunet. "Do you want to go now home now?" he asked.

Sora shook his head. "No, we have to finish the credits, first. The movie isn't done yet." He then took another sip of his water. Riku thought once again that Sora was so utterly cute it should be against the law.

When the credits were finished, Riku then stood up and pushed Sora out of the theater, and soon they were out in the cold air once more. Riku shivered. He then felt something cold land on his nose. He looked up at the sky. It was snowing again. Riku chuckled slightly and held his tongue out, catching snowflakes. "Hey, Sora, do you want to catch snowflakes on your tongue?" he asked the brunet.

But Sora did not respond. Riku furrowed his brows together. "Sora?" There was still no answer. Riku then stopped pushing Sora and walked to where he was in front of him. "Sora, what's wrong?" asked Riku quietly. Sora shuddered and closed his eyes. Riku then began to speak louder. "Sora! Tell me, what is wrong?"

Suddenly, Sora's voice popped into Riku's head. _It—it was beginning to snow r-really hard._ Riku gasped suddenly. "Sora, do you want to go home right now?"

But Sora still didn't answer him. "N-no...Daddy, it's snowing too much. Don't...don't drive the car—please."

Riku did not hesitate; he just took Sora home as quickly as he could, and as soon as they reached the orphanage, Riku did not even stop to speak to anyone, but just ran up the stairs with Sora and lay him down in his bed. He tucked him under his covers and gave him his blanket as well, attempting to warm up the boy, since the sheets were so thin.

"Sora, it's okay now. We're home."

Sora then opened his eyes, and was relieved to see it was so. He looked over at Riku, feeling ashamed. "I-I...I'm sorry."

Riku's eyes widened in horror. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Sora, so please don't apologize to me. If anyone needs to apologize, I should. I'll never take you out again when it's snowing. I am so sorry that I forgot. I'm just a big idiot."

"No…you're not an idiot, Riku," said Sora softly. "P-please...please don't call yourself an idiot."

Riku smiled. "I'll never call myself an idiot again."

Sora's lips twitched upwards slightly, and to Riku's horror, his smile looked even sadder and more broken than ever. His heart felt like it had just stopped beating. He had to be away. "I...I need to go check on Cloud, Sora. I'll see you later." And with that, Riku quickly rushed out of the room, the door shutting loudly behind him.

Sora watched his retreating form with sad eyes. "Ri...ku...please...don't go."

Riku went down the stairs quickly; surprisingly glad to be away from Sora, but also missing the brunet terribly. It was strange—how he felt. He felt like he needed to be away from Sora because he couldn't take seeing his sad smile anymore; but he wanted to be around him all the time, it hurt when he wasn't near him, as well. Riku felt so confused. He wished the voice would give him advice.

But surprisingly, for once, the voice said nothing, and Riku was left to ponder his thoughts on his own. Well, until Cloud spotted him, anyway. "Riku, there you are!" the blond called.

Riku finished the rest of the way down the stairs and smiled at Cloud. "I—I'm sorry I left without telling you. I know I'm supposed to be helping out and stuff, it's just that—"

Cloud interrupted Riku. "Don't worry about it, Riku. Believe me, you _are_ helping; Sora needs you."

Riku looked surprised at this. "How did you know I was out with Sora?"

Cloud laughed softly. "Leon overheard you talking, Riku. Besides, Sora wasn't in his bed, so we would have figured it out. So...what did you two do?"

"We went to a movie," Riku explained, slipping his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Really? Was it nice?"

Riku never had the chance to answer that question, for suddenly, someone burst through the door, disturbing the entire orphanage.

* * *

Axel had finally recovered enough so that he could walk around, but his back and knee hurt quite a bit, so he was sort of hunching over and limping at the same time. He was currently showing a boy how to swing a baseball just right. For Axel, just like Riku, was great at every sport. Although, the problem of Axel being somewhat of a klutz sometimes interfered with his playing, but not usually (quite miraculously, to be honest).

Now Roxas was currently sitting on his bed, grumbling to himself. He just couldn't **stand** looking at the stupid, klutzy redhead! It was just...just...so _infuriating_! Yes, that was the precise word. _Infuriating._ Roxas' eye began to jerk as Axel bumped his knee into a bed, and hurt his knee even worse. He really was a klutz! Roxas groaned and gripped his head. It was just...just too much!

Axel then hobbled over to Roxas and sat down beside him. "So...what are you thinking about, Roxy?" he asked the blond.

Roxas' eyes widened in horror, and his cheeks were just ever so slightly flushed. He then spluttered as he spoke. "D-don't...don't call me that!"

Axel looked sad. "But, Roxas, Roxy is such a cute nickname."

"It is not!" protested Roxas, standing up from the bed. "Just leave me alone, stupid Volcanohead!"

"Roxas, wait up!" Axel quickly hobbled after him, as fast as he could hobble, honestly.

"Why should I wait, Volcanohead?" he demanded.

"I just wanted to say...I'm glad that I took that fall for you. I'm really glad that you are safe."

Roxas' cheeks flushed and he made sure not to turn around and look Axel in the eye. Instead, he said, "W-well, whatever, Volcanohead!" And then quickly marched off.

Axel smiled softly as he watched him walk away. He then decided that he wanted to call Riku. He pulled out his cell phone and clicked number 2, Riku's speed dial. It rang several times, but Riku never picked up, and finally it went into the answering machine. Axel hung up, puzzled. Riku always answered the phone. He then called a second time, but still no answer. Something was up, obviously. Axel then shrugged. Or Riku just forgot his phone yet again.

Oh, if Axel only knew why he hadn't answered the phone...

* * *

Riku stared in horror at the person that had just entered the orphanage. A gust of wind blew in with the person, and the person was dressed entirely in black, a mask on their face.

Xemnas looked quite surprised. "Alas! It is a burglar!"

Suddenly, the supposed burglar leapt forward and glomped Riku. "Oh, Riku, sweetie! I missed you so much!"

Riku gasped in horror. And then he gasped again, for the person was choking him. "M-mom? You're _already_ here?"

"Why, of course, sweetums! I had to see my darling Riku! I just wish Seph had come with me, but he had to go Christmas shopping for Vincent."

"M-mom—you're choking me," Riku finally managed to gasp out.

Kazumi then pulled away from Riku, giggling. "Oh, Riku, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Before Riku even knew the words left his mouth, he said, "I have."

Kazumi reeled backwards, gasping in shock. "You...you have changed, Ri?"

Riku barely surppressed shouting, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Instead, he said softly, "Yeah, Mom, I really...think I have changed. I'm glad...that you signed me up for this." Riku did not voice that that only reason he was glad was Sora—and Cloud, Aerith, and Rikku. Basically, he hated everyone else.

Kazumi smiled softly. "I'm glad, Ri." She then bounded up and spotted Cloud. "Ooh, Riku, tell me who the hottie is?" Unfortunately, she said this right in front of Cloud. Cloud laughed nervously.

Riku rolled his eyes and smacked a hand to his forehead. "That's Cloud, Mom."

Kazumi turned to Cloud and shook his hand enthusiastically. "It's nice to meet you, Cloud!" She then changed the handshake into a hug. "Ooh, you're muscular. I bet you make a certain someone happy." At this, Cloud flushed at looked down at the ground. He then excused himself and walked away.

Riku looked like he could nearly kill her. "Mom! What the hell did you do that for?"

"Tsk, tsk. Oh, Riku, I'm merely helping the boy. He'll have to confess his love to his special someone soon."

Riku looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Exactly."

Riku was then rather curious about something. "Mom...what are you wearing exactly?"

"Oh, this? I was going through our attic and found our old Halloween costumes. This was one of the ones I wore back in college. I don't know what I was supposed to be, exactly. King of a cross between a vampire and a burglar." Kazumi giggled.

Kazumi then managed to latch onto Reno, who seemed to like Kazumi quite a bit, for later that day he told Riku, "You're Mom's totally awesome."

Riku watched his mom as she interacted with the people there, and couldn't help but smile. But then she bounded up to Riku again and said, "So, Riku, have you found a boyfriend yet? Reno told me that you're gay, and I always thought it, anyway."

Riku clenched his teeth tightly. "Mom...You. Drive. Me. CRAZY!"

* * *

Once Kazumi was finally gone, and it was time for dinner, Riku walked up the stairs to deliver Sora his meal. Kazumi had been invited to stay for dinner, but she had declined, saying she needed to go shopping now, especially for her darling little Riku. Riku had gotten quite annoyed at this; Tifa snorted with laughter in the corner. Riku's Anger Meter™ immediately rose to a ten at this, and for quite some time after that remained at that high number, but dropped when he remembered he would be seeing Sora again soon.

He opened the door and smiled at Sora. "Hey there, Sora."

"Hello, Riku," Sora greeted, turning his face to look at him.

Riku smiled as he sat down beside the brunet. "Dinner was very good this time, Sora, so you better make sure you eat all of it."

"I will," said Sora, picking up his fork.

Riku smiled radiantly. "I'm so glad."

And so, another crazy and somehow wonderful day passed by at the orphanage, and yet another day would come tomorrow, with more surprises, more craziness, and surely more pleasant memories.

* * *

**1 **– That's what happens to me, anyway. Always takes me forever to fall asleep. It usually takes an hour/two hours, and if I'm lucky, about forty minutes. Maybe I suffer from insomnia. XD/XP Heh. So I decided to have Riku have my sleep troubles. Haha.

**2 **– My sister knows this guy that says all cats are going to hell because they're evil and are the spawn of Satan. XDXD To be sure, my cats are very upset about this. Heh.

**Next chapter:** Riku decides to clean, something happens with Cloud and Leon (cheers!), and...well, I can't think of anything else. XP Oh well. You will have to be happy with two things this time. XD

Bah, I know that's not much of a preview, but since it's not written yet, I don't have as good of an idea about what is going to happen. But I _do_ know those things are going to happen. And also that the next chapter is mainly going to focus on LeonxCloud. Yes, I love them! -Glomps them- I also don't think there will be any Akuroku next chapter. I know...sad. But there may be a little, so do not fear! As another note, the reason Axel fell down the stairs is because I myself did. We finally had moved into our new house, and on the second day, I fall down the stairs. Yeah...nice. I couldn't move well for a couple months. But thankfully, I didn't break anything. I especially hurt my back...

And so, we have completed the fifth chapter. I think there are going to be twenty-four/five chapters or so… Does that sound good to you guys—do you all like long fics? I know I do. XD

I really liked this chapter, especially since it began the LeonxCloud-ness-though I didn't care for the ending too much. I prefer cliffies, and I couldn't think of a good way to end it, so that is why that ending developed. -.-' Oh, well. I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter and come back for the next! And I would really,** really** appreciate it if you all **reviewed!** It makes so happy, that you couldn't even imagine it. Well, see you all next time!


	6. Always and Forever

Bwahaha. I am back yet again! Yes, I am crazy. –Does her little crazy dance- Sorry it took three weeks for this chapter-I honestly meant to update sooner, but I've been really busy. Also, the most horrifying thing happened to me. See, my family has this dog named Truffie (short for Truffles)...and she is a very puffy dog. It was really windy and storming here last Tuesday, and I went upstairs to brush my teeth after dinner, and my sister gave me her phone, asking me to charge it. I began to brush my teeth and went in her room, and was prepared to plug in her phone when I just randomly decided to look out her window. There I saw a cute little dog in our front yard. And I was like, "Aww! A cute little doggy!" And then I realized that this dog was very puffy. TOO puffy. I screamed and ran down the stairs, screaming, "Truffie's outside! Truffie's outside!" But since toothpaste was in my mouth, no one knew what I was saying at first. I ran outside, my sister following me, because she realized what I had said. And there we saw Truffie. And just then, a car went down our street-and even though we were calling her, Truffie went out into the road.

But Truffie did not go out too far, and did not get hit. Finally she went back into our yard, and I hugged onto her for dear life. We took her inside, and then I went to see that one of our gates had flown open somehow. We need to make sure it stays shut from now on. -Sighs in relief- It was such a freaky thing that I went up there and saw Truffie out there...just before the car came. I think if I hadn't seen her, and we hadn't gone out there, Truffie would have gotten run over. What a blessing. Anyway, this chapter focuses on LeonxCloud quite a bit—but not as much as I thought it would. There's a little AkuRoku, too. I love Axel so darn much.

Also, for all the people that enjoy this story—please read my other stories! I will be continuing "I'll Be There for You" very soon as well, too. I have not given up on it yet, either. I am actually updating it next week! Please read it and review it. :)

**Summary: **Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to _help_ them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer: **You know I don't own it people—please don't make me cry. ;-; Well, I do own Kazumi. That is nice. XD And I also own Sonja, though she's not in this. I usually have her as Sora's mom. I love her even more. XDXD

-Kazumi tears up as she looks at Miss Star-

Oh, I didn't mean it! I love you just as much, I swear! -Glomps Kazumi-

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**

**Reviews: **Oh my gosh! Thanks so much for the lovely reviews, people. Especially my friend, Bonny-for she reviewed every chapter and made me smile so much! -Glomps Bonny- You need to come over here again! I miss you-we don't see each other as much as we should. -Nods nods- _Anyway,_ I just need to say one thing. I am a mere fifteen reviews away from hitting one hundred on here! -Twists and shouts- Hehe. If you all make this hit one hundred reviews, I'll make sure that this is updated in two weeks, instead of three weeks like this chapter. I promise. So make it happen, people! -Gives cookies to you all who reviewed-

**A/N: **I really liked writing this chapter. A bit near the end though, I couldn't think of what to write and got writer's block… It was awful. Anyway, here is the sixth chapter of AUG!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 6. Always and Forever

-o-

_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Cloud hadn't been able to sleep at all last night (something that had seemed to be happening to several people lately, indeed…). So when he glanced over to look at his clock and see that it was 5:57 AM, he just decided to get out of bed and walk around a bit; he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, anyway. Cloud sighed as he walked down the stairs. He went off to the kitchen to get a glass of water, for his mouth was quite dry.

Cloud took a sip of his water and felt slightly better—but only slightly. He sat down in a chair in the kitchen and sighed yet again. It was getting really bad now. He didn't know how to act around Leon-and it was getting to be really troublesome. Ever since he realized his feelings for the brunet, he avoided him for the rest of the day yesterday. He couldn't be around him because he'd blush or say something weird and embarrass himself. Cloud drank the rest of his water and then began to pace around the living room.

_What will I ever do?_ he thought. _Leon obviously doesn't like me…_ Cloud then stopped pacing. He furrowed his brows._ Come to think of it…in all the years I've known Leon, I've never seen him date anyone—or show interest in anyone, for that matter._ Cloud was quite confused by this. But he jumped suddenly as he was disturbed out of his musings.

"Couldn't sleep either, I see?" someone said, a voice Cloud knew all too well.

"L-Leon, what are you d-doing here?" Cloud stammered.

Leon grunted. "I couldn't sleep. You seem like you can't, either."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I've just been tossing and turning all night."

"Same here," said Leon as he sat down in a chair. Leon rubbed his face with his hands, obviously tired. "Don't you hate when you're so tired that you can't even sleep?"

Cloud nodded and sat beside him. "Yeah, I know the feeling." Cloud sighed for the third time, resting his chin in his hand.

"So, tell me, Cloud, what _has_ been bothering you lately?" asked Leon. As Cloud opened his mouth, Leon added, "And don't you _dare_ tell me it's nothing, because I know you're lying."

Cloud knew he was in a predicament here now. Darn Leon and his sixth sense of being able to tell when you're lying! Hmm…how should he go about getting himself out of this? Cloud pondered this thought for several minutes; Leon waited patiently. Finally Cloud said, "I…I don't know." Well, he hadn't really listened to Leon, now had he?

Leon sighed. "Damn it, Cloud, if you don't tell me I'll go insane."

Cloud looked up at Leon. "W-what?"

Leon hesitated a second before speaking. "You know…Cloud...you mean so much to me, I hate to see something troubling you."

Cloud's shining blue eyes widened slightly at this. He looked back down at the floor. _Could he possibly…?_ he thought. He then shook his head, clearing his thoughts. _No, no, I'm just his friend. He doesn't mean it that way._ "Well…I-I can't tell you, Leon."

Leon turned to Cloud harshly at this, grabbing his shoulders. "Why not? Why are you shutting me out? _Tell me_."

Cloud froze underneath Leon's intense stare. His cheeks turned crimson. "I-I…I just can't!" Cloud then attempted to get away, but Leon would not let him; he pulled him against himself, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"Tell me!" Leon demanded.

Cloud clenched his eyes shut. "Dammit, Leon, I love you!"

And just at this precise moment, Reno was coming down the stairs, yawning. When he heard Cloud's confession, his eyes snapped open wide, and he pressed himself against the wall. Of all the moments for him to come down the stairs!

Cloud waited, breathless, his eyes still shut tightly. He had gone and done it now. He had just ruined his relationship with his best friend. He felt…horrible. Why did he have to have these feelings, anyway? Leon was the greatest friend he had ever had, and now because of his…damn feelings…he would lose him forever. And then suddenly Cloud felt a warm hand touch his cheek. His eyes snapped open immediately. "W-wha?"

Leon's gray eyes locked with Cloud's shining blue ones, and he said, "Always, Cloud…always have I loved you." And then before Cloud could say anything further, his eyes going slightly wide, Leon leaned forward and kissed him tenderly, his hand still cupping his cheek.

Cloud was still so shocked his eyes were still wide as Leon's lips met his. _He loves me…too?_ Cloud thought, thinking this must be some magnificent dream. Finally, he gained his sense and slowly began to kiss Leon back. It felt like utter magic. Sweet and filled with love. It was all too wonderful. He had never had any idea Leon cared for him, too.

And then just as things were getting a bit more heated, as Leon pushed Cloud back against the couch, Reno began to walk back to his room, but ended up slipping on the rug and falling flat on his face, making a huge noise. He stood up; Leon stared at him icily. If looks could kill, Reno would surely be dead, he surely would. Reno scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Eheh. I wasn't here!" And with that, he quickly ran back up the stairs.

* * *

Riku slept easily yet again that night, which most likely had something to do with Sora. He got his cell phone out to see what time it was. He was surprised to see he had three missed calls. Hmm. Yesterday was so loud with his mother and everything he probably just didn't hear it. Riku saw it was Axel; he then rolled his eyes. What was wrong with the redhead now? He quickly called him back, and the phone was picked up immediately, even though it was so early in the morning.

"Riku? Riku, is that you? Oh, my gosh, I thought you had maybe died," Axel's frantic voice came through the receiver.

Riku rolled his eyes yet again. "Oh, Axel, how the hell could you think that?"

"What? Is it so wrong for me to be worried about my best friend?" Axel was beginning to get defensive.

Riku heaved a sigh. "Oh, you big dope, I didn't mean it that way. Geez, you get so defensive so quickly."

"I-I do not!" Axel stuttered.

"Yes, you do, Axel. Now if I admit I'm cocky and you admit that you're a freak, I think you can admit that you get defensive too quickly, as well. Anyway, Axel, what did you want to talk about? You called three times, for Pete's sake."

Axel furrowed his eyebrows. "What's up with that phrase, anyway?"

"What phrase?"

"For Pete's sake, Riku."

"What?"

Axel groaned. "I mean the phrase, _for Pete's sake_. Who is this Pete, anyway?"

Riku shrugged, though Axel couldn't exactly see it on the telephone, so he also said, "I dunno. Anyway, you big freak, you didn't answer my question. What's so important? I gotta get ready to eat breakfast, and you are intruding on my time."

"Guh-eeze. Then why did you even call me, Ri?" asked Axel.

"Don't call me that!" Riku hissed.

"Geez, you sure sensitive. Anyway, I called you because…oh no."

"What?"

"I forgot why I called you in the first place," Axel said tentatively.

You can only imagine what happened at this point, Riku's Anger Meter™ quickly shot up to a 12. "That's it! I'm hanging up on you! I'm hungry and I need to take a shower before I can eat so goodbye, you freakazoid!"

Before Axel could object (for he had now remembered he wanted to tell Riku about his accident and about Roxas in general), Riku hung up and left Axel feeling rather blue. He then shrugged. Oh, well. He could always call Riku later again; and hopefully the silver-haired boy would be in a better mood by then.

Riku was rather pissed off now, and this was not helped when Yuffie leaped over to him and glomped him, resulting in Riku falling backwards against the floor. Oh…my goodness. The anger meter is at 14! It is on the brink of 15! **BEWARE!** "Riku! Riku! Guess what? Guess what?"

"What is it, damn it?" Riku yelled ferociously. This did not seem to bother Yuffie, though. Not one bit.

She squealed and hugged Riku. _Alert!_ The anger meter is slowly rising! "Leon and Cloudy-pants got married!"

Riku was completely taken aback. "What the hell did you just say?"

"Well, they didn't actually get married, but they finally got together! I knew it would happen someday!" Yuffie cheered, grinning widely.

"Is everyone in this orphanage gay?" Riku muttered to himself, sitting down.

"Basically. It's like a girl's yaoi fantasy, isn't it?" Yuffie said, still grinning like a mad woman. Well, she was a mad woman, so that would explain it.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Yuffie said. "Anyway, isn't this just the bestest news ever? Cloud and Leon are together! I've been waiting for that to happen ever since I met 'em!" Yuffie sighed happily. "This has completely made my day."

Riku's Anger Meter™ was still quite high, but it had dropped to 11, which was pretty good, considering it almost hit fifteen. Riku was seriously considering killing Yuffie. As he thought of his murderous intents, Riku heard a slight cough come from behind him. At this precise moment, Riku realized that Sora was in the same room as him. He was still getting quite used to this, you know. "GACK!" Oh, my… Riku actually let out a scream.

"What is it, Riku?" Yuffie asked him.

"N-nothing," said Riku.

"You're lying," Yuffie said, leaning in closer. "Oh, I know what it is! After hearing about Cloud and Leon, you have finally realized you're gay? Is that it?"

Despite himself, Riku blushed slightly. "No, it is not that! Now, go away, Yuffie! I have to take a shower. It's the early morning, for heaven's sake!"

Yuffie actually hopped merrily away, much to Riku's surprise. Riku stood up and was prepared to go and take his shower when he turned around and saw Sora there. "Good morning, Sora," Riku greeted, smiling. His anger meter was now at the bottom. He was never angry when he was around Sora. He always felt calm around the boy. It was…strange.

"Good...morning..." Sora said slowly.

"Well, Sora, I'll see you soon when I give you your breakfast. I have to go take a shower now. See you soon." Riku honestly wished he could stay and talk to the boy further, but Yuffie and Axel had already wasted enough of his time. He had to take a quick shower, because breakfast would be ready any minute.

* * *

Cloud was finding it was hard to concentrate. He was supposed to be going through files, but every few minutes, he glanced up at Leon, surprised every time to think that they were actually together now. He glanced up at Leon once more. The brunet smiled slightly and looked at Cloud. "What's on your mind, Cloud?" he asked him.

Cloud blushed and smiled. "I…I'm just so happy."

Leon grinned. "Me, too." He then leaned in towards the blond and laid a small kiss on the other boy's lips. And just as their lips met, a flash disturbed them.

Reno grinned at them. "Well, that's a perfect picture moment for you! I'm going to go to the mall and sell copies of this to all the rabid fangirls!"

Leon grumbled and grabbed the camera from Reno. "Thank you, Reno. But you shall never see this picture again for the remaining years of your life."

Reno gulped and backed away. After all, he had not forgotten this morning. Leon certainly had it out for him, didn't he? "Oh, well, that's okay. I'll just sneak pictures of Demyx and Zexion then." The redhead then quickly scurried away.

Leon shook his head as the redhead left, mumbling to himself. Cloud leaned against the brunet and sighed happily. "I love you, Leon."

"I love you, too, Cloud."

Just at that moment, Riku was walking down the stairs. So Yuffie had been telling the truth. Riku wasn't that surprised, to be quite honest. _Those two have been dancing around each other ever since I saw them—and I'm sure it's been happening long before that, too, _Riku thought.

Kadaj then burst out of the kitchen, a pink apron wrapped around his waist. Riku suppressed the urge to laugh. Well, he attempted to, anyway. "Breakfast is ready!" announced the silver-haired boy.

Riku grinned, still laughing slightly. He had made it just in time. They all then headed to the dining room.

"Oh, it is yet again that wondrous time!" Xemnas exclaimed; his arms outstretched.

"What?" Demyx asked.

Riku rolled his eyes. "The time to eat and savor this scrumptious meal. Now we must submit!"

"To what?" Demyx asked again. Riku smacked a hand to his forehead. Was the kid just dense or something?

"To this meal, of course!" Xemnas shouted, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. And the best thing ever, for that matter.

Riku began to eat his meal, ignoring the weirdoes and watched Cloud and Leon out of the corner of his eye. They…really acted sweet around each other. _They make a good couple,_ Riku thought. He then stopped, his expression looked rather odd. Tifa pointed a finger and laughed. _What the hell did I just think? Oh, fuck, they're all trying to turn me gay! And now even my mother is in on it, too! Oh, the world shall come to an end!_

_Oh, brother, Riku. Do you understand nothing? You __**are**__ gay,_ said the voice.

_I am not!_ Riku argued, taking a bite of his omelet.

_I think I should know, Riku. I am you, after all,_ said the voice.

Riku groaned. _Is that your only argument?_

_Why, of course not, Riku. But seriously, can't you realize it? You've never really had a girlfriend, even though all the girls in school adore you. You've never even shown any interest in any of them,_ said the voice.

Riku furrowed his brows in concentration at this. Hmm, this was a tough one. _Well, that doesn't mean anything. I've never been interested in guys, either,_ said Riku.

_Oh, really? Well, you've said guys are good-looking before, but you've never said that about girls, Riku,_ argued the voice.

_What? I just said that Tidus was muscular!_ Riku was now freaking out.

_Riku, I believe you said, "Tidus has a nice, muscular body." Most straight guys wouldn't say that about another guy,_ said the voice.

Riku suddenly no longer felt hungry. _Oh…no…__I'm_ gay_,_ he thought. _I really am. Now that I think about, I've thought several guy couples were cute, like Cloud and Leon, and I've said guys are hot or good-looking before. Oh, why did I never realize it?_ Riku gripped his head, and Cloud noticed this.

"What's wrong, Riku?" he asked.

"I'M GAY!" Riku shouted aloud. Three seconds passed by. Riku's cheeks flushed and he quickly fled from the room. He had **not** meant to shout that!

Yuffie and Tifa cheered, "Another one bites the dust!"

Reno snorted. "Well, it's about time."

Riku slammed the door to the bathroom shut, and took several deep breaths. He had sprinted so fast he was quite out of breath. Riku leaned against the door and slowly sank to the floor. He laid his heads in his hands and just screamed. Very loudly. How on earth could he have said that out loud? What would they all think about him now? Surely they were all talking about him. Well, it was true, to be honest. But they were all just happy that he finally admitted it and could move on with his life. But Riku did not know this, of course.

"Oh, damn, I'm such as idiot," Riku said to himself aloud. As Riku sat there on the bathroom floor, he realized just how dirty it was. Riku then looked around the entire bathroom. The whole thing really needed to be cleaned. Riku wasn't very good at cleaning, though his mother was. She was a bit of a clean freak, actually.

Riku furrowed his brows together in concentration. Now that he thought about it, the whole orphanage really needed to be cleaned. Riku stood back up. "All right, I know what I have to do." Even though he was embarrassed as hell to go out there again, he had to do it. But first, he had to deliver Sora his breakfast.

Riku cracked the door open slightly. Everyone was still sitting around the table, eating. Everyone except Sora. _It must be lonely to always eat alone,_ Riku thought. _I'm glad I'm there with Sora now when he eats._ He opened the door fully and walked out, clearing his throat.

He had to face the music, after all. He walked back to the table and everyone stared at him silently. Riku ignored their stares and got Sora's tray of food and began to walk away, but before he was completely free, Reno called, "Riku, welcome to the club!"

"Reno…"

"What, Riku?" asked the redhead, feigning innocence.

"After I give Sora his breakfast, I will kill you," said Riku, his anger meter automatically rising.

"I'll be looking forward to it!" Reno said, grinning widely.

"Good." And with that, Riku was completely out of sight and up the stairs.

Cloud was left blinking as he left. He then grinned. "Isn't that funny, Leon?"

The brunet wrapped an arm around the blond's waist. "That Riku admits he's gay the same day we hook up? Yeah…it is."

Riku felt like the walk down the hallway to where Sora was stretched on forever. As he continued to walk, it seemed to only expand even further, and it seemed like every step he took ended up taking him hours. Finally, somehow, he made it. And he cleared his throat before he entered. Riku then realized that he sure cleared his throat an awfully lot lately. When the door opened, Sora's head immediately snapped around to see Riku there. "Riku..,"

Riku smiled softly as he walked over to the brunet. "Hey there, Sora." It was…peculiar. Riku thought he would feel awkward around Sora, now that admitted he was gay and everything, but that was not the case at all. It just felt…completely and totally normal. He felt relaxed whenever he was around the brunet. "Today's breakfast is an omelet. Do you like omelets?"

Sora hesitated before answering. "Yes…yes, I do. Very much." Riku gave Sora his breakfast, but the boy did not eat.

"Why aren't you eating? I thought you said you liked omelets," Riku said, puzzled.

Sora nodded. "I…I just don't feel hungry, today, that's…all."

Riku sighed. "Don't lie to me, Sora. You've been eating every meal for the past few days. I doubt that has suddenly gone away."

Sora looked offended. Riku recoiled. How could he have lost his patience with Sora like that? He felt ashamed. "J-just...just leave me alone," Sora said, turning his gaze away from Riku and looking out the window.

Riku's heart suddenly felt like it had stopped beating. Sora hadn't been looking out the window lately. Riku was hoping he was helping Sora. That he was taking him outside and that he was helping him talk more. Riku never thought he would hear Sora tell him to just leave him alone. It… _It hurts so bad,_ he thought. He looked up at the brunet. "Sora…Sora! Please, I'm so sorry. I-I…I didn't mean it to come out that way. I'm just worried about you."

Sora slowly turned around to face Riku again. "I-I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have said that."

Riku shook his head. "Don't feel like you need to apologize, Sora." Riku sat down across from the brunet. "Anyway, Sora, why won't you eat? Please—please tell me."

There were several moments of silence, but Riku waited patiently. He was quite used to Sora pausing for quite a while before answering. He was quite used to it by now. "Omelets…they were my favorite breakfast food. Mommy…she made them for me every morning."

Riku's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Sora. Would you like me to bring you something else?"

Sora shook his head slowly. "N-no. I'd like…to eat it, thank you."

Riku sat there in silence as Sora began to eat. Neither of the boys said a word. But it was a comfortable silence.

* * *

Axel sighed as he reached Destiny Orphanage that morning. His mother had made a huge fuss about him when he got home. She had totally freaked out for nothing. I mean, he had only fallen down a staircase; it wasn't that big of a deal. Well, that's what Axel thought, anyway. But falling down stairs really _was_ a big deal. People have died that way or gotten seriously injured. Just because Axel didn't get hurt in the worst way didn't it mean that it wasn't bad.

The morning went by in a blur, and Axel actually realized that Roxas and he had not spoken at all yet today. It was rather…odd. Now that he thought about, he didn't even see the blond anywhere. _Where is he? _Axel found himself thinking. _Why do I care about him so much, anyway?_ Axel was currently helping Rinoa make lunch, and he turned to her. "Um…Rinoa, where's Roxas?"

"Roxas? Oh, he's at his job today. He works four days a week at this grocery store. He's saving up money to go to college. He's really smart, actually," she explained.

_Roxas…has a job?_ Axel thought slowly. He had had no idea. He had only known the blond two days, so he had never seen him go. Roxas was sixteen, so he was old enough to have a job. But Axel always thought of the blond as being younger. He was rather short for his age, while Axel was tall and gangly. Axel was actually nearly a foot taller than the boy. Well, nearly, anyway. "O-oh… Okay." Axel wondered what Roxas was doing right now.

* * *

Roxas was rather bored. His job sucked, and it didn't pay well. But there wasn't much else a sixteen-year old boy could do for a job. He needed a better job, but he could never find one. This sucked so much. He flashed the customer a fake smile as he handed them their change. Why was he left working here? Roxas' eyes bulged at the next customer. They had red hair that was kinda crazy, and green eyes, too. He reminded him an awfully lot of someone…_He looks like Volcanohead,_ he thought, taken aback.

And after watching the redhead for a couple of moments, he realized he sort of acted like Axel, too. Hmm…

"I'm telling ya, Kadaj, it's the truth!" said the redhead. Roxas stared at him. This was when he realized that the redhead was with someone as well.

Kadaj shook his head. "I don't believe it, Reno."

So the redhead (that looked like Volcanohead) was named Reno. Roxas began to scan their items, listening to their conversation secretly.

"Chocolate is better than vanilla, you bastard!" Reno insisted. He then laughed nervously as he turned around to look at Roxas. "Ehehe. Hi, my name is Reno. And you are…" Reno glanced at Roxas' nametag. "Roxas! Nice to meet you, Roxas."

"Well, I don't feel the same," Roxas said. Reno really _did_ remind him too much of Axel. He was treating him like Axel, too.

Kadaj chuckled slightly. "Everyone dislikes you, Reno."

"But you don't, Kadaj. Why else would you be my boyfriend?" Reno said, rather confidentially.

"It comes and goes. Some days I like you; while others you annoy the hell out of me," said Kadaj, shrugging his shoulders.

Reno's jaw dropped. "Kadaj, you're always so mean."

Kadaj looked at the redhead and then ruffled his hair. "You know I love you, silly."

Reno stared at the silver-haired boy for a moment. He then threw his arms around him and shouted, "I love you, too!"

Roxas cleared his throat. "Excuse me? Your bill is $108.57."

Kadaj got his wallet out of his back pocket, Reno's arms still wrapped around him tightly. He handed Roxas the money; then he got his change back. Kadaj pushed the cart with their bags out of the store. But before they were completely out of sight, Reno turned around and grinned at Roxas. "See ya later, Roxy!" He then winked.

Roxas groaned and threw his arms up in the air. Why was everyone calling him that lately?

* * *

Cloud was wondering where Riku had gone off to now. The boy had been gone for nearly an hour now, and it was rather puzzling. Just as Cloud was thinking this, the door blew open and Riku stepped in, several things accompanying him.

"Riku! Where have you been?" Cloud asked him, sounding much like a worried brother.

"I…I went back to my house to get a few things—but my brother insisted I stay longer. I finally managed to break free from his grasp," Riku explained, sounding quite angry and disheveled.

"Oh…what did you get?" Cloud asked, looking quite puzzled at the things Riku was holding. One of them was a broom.

Riku laughed nervously. "W-Well…I'm supposed to help here, right? So I've decided to…tidy up the place a bit."

"That's nice, Riku—but you don't have to do it. I know how…messy it is here. We all want to clean it, we just find we don't have the time," said Cloud, feeling somewhat guilty.

"No…I really want to," Riku said, smiling. He then went back outside to get even more things that he had dropped outside. Riku then got his mop and bucket and began to clean the floor. Cloud was quite stunned. Reno and Kadaj then opened the door and stepped in with their groceries.

Reno spotted Riku and said, "So, you have decided to clean around here?"

"Yep."

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that you're gay?"

Reno got a sponge thrown his way, which he nearly missed, but it ended up hitting him in the face. It was a wet sponge, too. Reno's left eye began twitch. "Riku! I'm gonna kill you!"

Kadaj held the redhead back. "Don't kill him, Reno. Let's go get lunch started now."

Reno growled but complied, and cursed Riku as he passed him. He had messed up his perfect hair!

Riku laughed as he continued to clean the floor. He worked steadily, making sure not to miss a single spot. He had to keep going back to his bucket to get more soap and water for his mop. His mother had the strongest cleaning products there were—she was somewhat of a clean freak, after all. After quite some time, finally the floor was clean, and Riku could even see his own reflection in it. He now needed to polish it. It was a wooden floor, after all, and it had several scratches in places.

Riku worked steadily on the floor, and it took quite a long time, but finally he was satisfied with it. He let out a long breath as he leaned back against the couch. Reno then sat down on the couch and grinned widely. "Nice work on the floor, Riku, it looks really nice."

Riku heaved a sigh. "Are you going to act weird again? Do I have to throw yet another sponge at you?"

Reno held up his hand in a truce sign. "Don't worry, Riku. I have not come to bug you. I just wanted to tell you you're doing a nice job."

Riku arched an eyebrow. "Stop it. You're freaking me out. Act like you normally do." Riku thought he would never hear those words leave his mouth...nut it was really freaking him out, after all. I mean…Reno acting nice? It just seemed…odd. Riku never thought he'd want Reno to act as he normally did. _My life is so screwed up, isn't it?_ he thought. _First I shout out I'm gay; then I decide to clean this entire orphanage; and then to top it all off, I ask Reno to act crazily. Yeah...I'm screwed._

Reno mocked a sigh and wrapped an arm around Riku's shoulder. "Well, my good boy, if you insist, then I shall act as I normally do," Reno said, a smile breaking out on his face. "So, now that you have finally come to terms with it, is there anyone in particular you like?"

Riku's face flushed. He should have never asked Reno to act as he normally did! Was he signing himself up for a suicide? "Are you out of your friggin' mind?" he ground out.

Reno winked at him. "So perhaps there is someone, then. You are certainly acting embarrassed enough, anyway. So, who is it? If it's my Kadaj, it's hands off, so you better just move along."

Riku groaned and picked up his mop, threatening Reno with it. "If you dare say another word, I will shake this over your head and get dirty, mucky water all over your precious hair," he threatened lowly.

Reno pursed his lips and scooted away slowly. As soon as he was a couple feet away from Riku, he fled. Riku snickered as he watched the redhead's retreating form. Honestly, though, Reno had been asking for it. Riku had only but hours ago realized he was, in fact-gay-instead of straight, which he had always assumed, honestly. Although lately it had been harder to tell, and Reno aggravated him so much, that it just made him want to be straight; but that was clearly not the case.

And then the redhead had the nerve to go and ask him if he had anyone he liked! _Honestly, he deserves to be killed,_ thought Riku. _Hm…I wonder how much a hitman would cost?_

_Oh, Riku, how could you think of such a thing!_ said the voice.

Riku snorted. _Oh, come on! I was only joking._ The voice remained silent. Riku groaned in his head. _Okay! I was half-joking. Mostly joking, anyway. I wouldn't seriously ever kill anyone. But you have to admit that that bastard deserves it._

_I highly doubt that,_ said the voice dryly.

Riku merely ignored it and went on with his cleaning, deciding to tackle the task of dusting next. Riku sneezed several times. Truth be told, he was slightly allergic to dust, so it would act up a little. **(1)** His eyes watered slightly and he rubbed at them with the back of his arm. Once the living room was nicely dusted, he decided to head to the kitchen. His stomach grumbled as he walked to it. He hadn't eaten that much of a breakfast because…well…he had yelled out he was gay and everything. He had then sort of lost his appetite after that. So Riku was still rather hungry. And just as he opened the door, Aerith spotted him.

"Oh, Riku! Could you give Sora his lunch?" she asked.

Riku grinned as he set down his stuff and washed his hands. "I always do." Aerith smiled. Riku then whispered something in her ear.

Aerith's smile deepened. "Of course."

When Riku reached Sora's door, he didn't even hesitate entering. He had felt so guilty earlier, he could hardly wait to see the brunet again, and apologize over and over again. Normally, Riku would have questioned why he would have to apologize over and over—but he had finally decided to give in to how he was changing. He…wanted to make other people happy. He really wanted to make Sora happy and see him smile. He…

…_I want to a better person,_ he thought.

He then opened the door to find Sora looking straight at him. Riku stopped dead on the spot. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed, and he actually…sounded excited. Sora cast his eyes away for a moment as he fumbled with his words. "I-I…well…you see…I'm glad…that you're here."

For some reason Riku did not know, his heart began to beat faster. It thumped loudly in his chest, and he felt like he would go crazy from it. His mouth went dry. He realized he was staring at Sora. He shook his head and walked closer to the boy. "I'm glad I can see you, too, Sora," said Riku as he sat down on his bed across from Sora's.

"Riku, why did you…?" Sora began, but Riku spoke before he could finish.

"I wanted to eat with you," he explained, smiling. "Yeah, you have me here when you're eating, but there's something just so nice about actually eating with someone."

Sora's lips twitched upwards. "Thank…you, Riku. This…that really means a lot to me."

Riku grinned and picked up his fork, saying, "Well, shall we eat?"

Sora nodded, picking up his own fork and began to eat his salad.

* * *

Cloud and Leon were alone. Well, they were alone in a closet, but no one knew this. They couldn't get a moment to themselves the entire day, and it was driving both of them mad. So, they had sneaked off (and Yuffie was beginning to wonder where on earth Cloud had gone off to…and then wondered the same for Leon, and then it all clicked in her head and she grinned,) and were finally left alone in this tiny closet.

"Leon, why couldn't we go to my room?" Cloud asked the brunet.

Leon shook his head. "Someone would find us there—you know that. Lots of the kids often even go in your room. It wouldn't be very nice if they found us, would it?" he asked as he bent over and kissed Cloud's cheek, and slowly trailed kisses down to his neck.

Cloud gulped. "I-I…I suppose not."

And so the two had their time alone together. Leon began to lift Cloud's shirt over his head; and just at that precise moment (how many times do these coincidences happen, anyway?) a certain pink-haired boy that was obsessed with flowers came along and flung the closet door open. "Leon! Cloud! Quick! I—I don't think the roses are going to make it!" Marluxia burst out, tears making his eyes shine.

Now, Leon may not have an anger meter like Riku does, but he most certainly has a temper. Usually Leon is a bit more distant, and his replies are short, or he simply grunts. But when you make him extremely pissed off (which, Leon currently was) you…well…you honestly wouldn't want to be around the brunet. It was simply dreadful. Already, Reno had interrupted him and Cloud earlier—but now—now this pink-haired flower freak had to come and do the same! And over..._roses_ of all things. Leon was going to lose it.

"Marluxia, come here. I can tell you what to do with the roses," Leon said slowly. Cloud cringed, preparing for the worst.

Marluxia was not seen for the next three hours.

* * *

It was nearly dinnertime, and Axel was relaxing in a chair, exhausted. The kids had insisted he play with them all day. And even though Axel always seemed to have a ton of energy, and did many sports, he was very tired. The children he had been playing with, though, were still going strong. Axel idly wondered how it was possible to have so much energy.

The door creaked open, and Axel lazily turned to see who it was. It was Roxas. Suddenly, the exhaustion wore away from Axel's eyes; he looked like he had a second wind. Roxas spotted the redhead and stared at him for a moment; he merely scoffed and turned away, not even speaking a word to Axel.

Of course, I am sure you already know what Axel did next. He snapped up and bolted after the blond. "Roxas, where were you all this time?" Yes, you may be wondering why Axel is asking Roxas something Rinoa already told him; but do not fret, for Axel is not that dumb, he just merely wanted _Roxas_ to actually tell him.

"None of your friggin' business, Volcanohead."

Well, Axel figured Roxas' answer would be something similar to that. He sighed and walked after the blond as he went up the stairs.

"Why do you always follow me?" Roxas asked him. And for once, his voice didn't sound put out or biting. He actually spoke…quietly. Axel was surprised.

"I…like you. I think you're a really nice guy, but you won't show me that side of you. Well, I want to see it," Axel answered.

Roxas stopped going up the stairs. Axel stopped as well. "Well, I assure you, there is no nice side to me. I can be courteous to people, but I don't really like them. I have no friends. I just move on with life. Let it go already. You will never see a nice side to me." Roxas then continued to go up the stairs. Axel did not keep moving though. This caused Roxas to stop again. "Why aren't you following me?"

Axel waited a moment before replying. "I don't believe you."

"What?"

"I don't believe that there isn't a nice side to you at all. Every person has a good side and bad side to them. I want to be your friend, Roxas, really."

Roxas did not continue up the stairs for a minute. "I…was at my job. I…I'm saving up for college," was all he said before he continued his trek upstairs.

Axel smiled as he watched the blond disappear. Maybe there was a nice side to Roxas after all. Axel turned around and went back down the stairs.

* * *

After Riku and Sora had eaten lunch, Riku felt like he was floating on cloud nine. He…never would have thought he would have enjoyed it so much when his mother had signed him up to help out like this. But…Riku thought it was a blessing in disguise. Riku thought back to the first day he had been here (well, truth be told, he had only been here six days, so it wasn't that long…but it felt like an eternity). He had thought he was in hell; he thought everyone was crazy (well, truthfully, most of them were); he thought life couldn't get any worse…but to Riku, it seemed to only be getting better.

Riku went back to his cleaning, feeling quite happy and content. Usually he did not feel this happy; but whenever he was around Sora, it seemed like he felt wonderful. The brunet just made him feel like no one else did. He found he wanted to spend every waking moment with him. And even still, it seemed like that wouldn't be enough. But Riku was content, all the same.

He was now nearly done with the kitchen, when Demyx suddenly came in and began to talk to Riku. "Hey there, Riku," he greeted, waving a bit. He tapped his fingers on the counter. With every tap of Demyx's fingers, his anger meter rose slightly. Soon it was up to a nine, and would surely be rising.

"What is it, Demyx?" Riku asked, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, I just wanted to visit with you. You know, I think you're a really cool guy."

The anger dropped to a seven. "R-Really?" Riku may be getting better; but he was still cocky, and he loved people doting on him.

"Yeah, everyone thinks so. Marluxia thinks you'd make a great gardener," said Demyx, grinning as he continued to tap his fingers.

Riku rolled his eyes. "I don't get why he thinks that."

Demyx laughed. "Well, he just loves flowers." Riku continued to scrub the floor as Demyx tapped his fingers, neither of them speaking for a couple moments. But Demyx was not done speaking. "So, Riku, I wrote this new song—"

"OUT!" Riku screeched. He would not stand for Demyx's singing; his anger meter immediately shot to a twelve (which was very dangerous, mind you). Demyx seemed to not hear Riku, or he chose to ignore him, which was much more probable, since Riku had shouted so loud; he began to sing his song (incredibly out of tune), and Riku thought his ears were going to burst. "I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!" Uh-oh…the anger meter went up to thirteen. It is only two levels away from 15—BEWARE!

Riku was just about to chuck his sponge at Demyx's head when someone else entered and whistled at Demyx. "Zexion's looking for you. Go on."

Riku looked up to see whom his saving grace was—he immediately groaned when he saw who it was. It was Reno. He got rid of one freak only to gain another! "Reno, what are you doing here?"

Reno squatted down beside him, his hands in his pocket. "I came to help you out. We could all hear Demyx's voice out there. Believe me, it was a relief to us all."

"So does that mean…?"

"That Zexion wasn't really looking for Demyx? Yup, I just made it up. That boy seriously doesn't realize that he's no good at singing." Reno laughed. "But…you have to give him credit for at least trying."

_Reno…?_ Riku thought. Reno honestly was not acting as he normally did. All day, Riku now realized, there were moments when he acted…normal, quieter…even a little distant. Riku was surprised. He had never seen Reno act this way before—it was very…unsettling. "Reno…?" Riku voiced his thoughts.

Reno then glomped Riku. "Oh, Riku, you are just the cutest little thing!"

Oh, bother… The anger meter was at 14… "RENO! GET THE **HELL** OFF ME!" Riku shouted, grabbing his sponge. Reno got up quickly.

"All right, all right, already. I don't need another sponge chucked my way. Seriously—you're going to ruin my hair, Riku; and you know it is just one of the amazingly good features of my fantabulous looks."

Riku scoffed and crossed his arms. "Oh, get a grip, Reno."

"What? I am only stating the truth."

"Oh, get out. Go find Kadaj or something," said Riku, getting too annoyed for words.

"Ooh! Good idea!" Reno hopped out of the kitchen, and Riku resumed his cleaning crazy-free. He finished up the floor, and then decided to dust in here, too. As Riku was dusting, he realized how awful the paint looked.

"Hmm…" he said as he ran his hand up the wall. "It really…needs to be repainted…" Riku was startled as the door opened, resulting in him jumping slightly. He turned to see who it was, hoping it wasn't Reno again, or someone crazy as well. He was relieved. "Oh, Cloud, you scared me."

Cloud frowned. "Oh, Riku, I'm sorry. How's the cleaning going?" he asked as he sat down in a chair.

"Well…it's pretty nice. I'm going to have to do more tomorrow, though. The upstairs rooms and stuff." Riku yawned. "I'm…pretty tired."

Cloud smiled. "Well, no wonder you are. You've been cleaning for several hours now. It gets a bit tiring after awhile, believe me. I'm not a cleaning person," he said as he watched Riku continue to dust.

"Really? I'm not one either." There was a moment's silence before Riku spoke again. "Hey, Cloud?"

"Hm?"

Riku took in a deep breath. "What's the deal with Reno today, anyway? He usually acts all crazy and stuff, and yet…throughout the entire day, he's been acting…sort of weird."

Cloud waited for several moments before speaking; and Riku began to wonder if he was going to speak at all. "Well, you see… Reno is… Well, Reno was…"

* * *

Bwahaha. It is a cliffhanger. I didn't have any the last couple chapters—and now I feel satisfied. Hmm… A lot happened this chapter.

**1** – Well, that's me for ya. Allergic to dust. But I love to dust…it's so sad! –Cries- I get all worked up around it; but thank goodness I'm only slightly allergic, then I can still dust some. XD

**Next chapter: **Hm…it's a cliffhanger, so I shall not tell you something this time! Well, actually, I'm not that mean, so here ya go: Riku cleans even more, he finds out more about Reno, and something happens to Sora's smile…

There! I am done. Well, I thank you all yet again. Please—please **review**! It makes me so happy-you have no idea. I read over old reviews all the time, and they make me smile and laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And besides, I need a lot of reviews to cure my writer's block! Seriously… I think it will help. ;) And _especially_ if I hit a hundred:) So click on the little button there. You know you want to. xD


	7. Broken Smile

Hola! Hello, to all you good people that read/review this story! I seriously love you all! –Big group hug- Hehe. Sorry 'bout that. -.-' I tend to get a wee bit scary late at night, when I've had too much sugar. xD Anyway, this is the seventh chaper! –Cheers- As a note, I want to say that I have posted two new one-shots, "Mistletoe" and "We're All Pixies Deep Down, Aren't We?". And I am now also co-writing a fic with **biach-goddess-leah!** She rocks. ;) Check out her stories! "Strawberries and Cream", our fic, is on her account. :)

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't _want _to help them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** All right, people, I can no longer think of anything to put here! I don't own Kingdom Hearts! I know, it's sad—but we must all move on with our lives!

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** Oh my flippin' goodness...I HIT A HUNDRED REVIEWS! A special shout out goes to** Empress of Misfits!** She left such a long and lovely review, and I love you eternally for all the kind compliments you sent my way. :) Thank you oh so much. So many people reviewed last chapter, it made my heart swoon. XD ...LOL-I'm such a freak. Anyway, I thank you all greatly. -Bows deeply- RikuxSora cake for all who reviewed and helped my hit a hundred! ;)

**A/N: **All righty, people. This chapter focuses on Reno. A lot. But there's still plenty of RikuxSora-ness in here, and AkuRoku-ness, too. But with them I feel like I'm bringing them together one minute, and then breaking them further apart the next. Argh! They're so hard to write! X.X And also, in this chapter, we get the first glimpse of Zemyx! Yes! I wasn't sure if I'd really put them in here, but I have made up my mind. :) There should be plenty more of them in the future! Anyway, on to the chapter!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter. 7 Broken Smile

-o-

_"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._" - **Samuel Johnson **

* * *

Riku took in a deep breath. "What's the deal with Reno, anyway? He usually acts all crazy and stuff, and yet…throughout the entire day, he's been acting…sort of weird."

Cloud waited several moments before speaking; and Riku began to wonder if he was going to speak at all. "Well, you see… Reno is… Well, Reno was…" Cloud took in another deep breath. "Reno…grew up in this orphanage…"

"What?" said Riku, not quite sure he had heard Cloud correctly.

"He…he was an orphan, Reno. His mother got knocked up and didn't want to keep him. So right from birth Reno grew up here…" Cloud explained. Riku stayed there on his hands and knees in silence. He did not feel like he could say anything. Cloud spoke up again. "Today…is Reno's birthday. He has always hated his birthday. He doesn't try to show it, though. Reno actually once tried to kill himself…on his twelfth birthday."

Riku felt sick in his stomach. He had not expected Cloud to say this. He figured the blond would say something like, "Reno's just crazy—there's nothing to it. You're just imagining things." He had had no idea… "So that's why he works here..." Riku mumbled slowly and softly. Cloud nodded. "Is there anything I can…?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't really know, Riku. We usually just act as if it's not his birthday at all. Then Reno doesn't have us all reminding him—and then he'll try and act like himself for the most part.—trying to cover up what he's really going through."

Riku stood up. Cleaning would have to wait. He may find Reno annoying as hell most of the time, and thought he was utterly insane—but it showed that sometimes…it was all just a show. He had sadness buried deep down in his heart—and he had even once tried to kill himself. Riku felt like he just had to do something. He had no idea what it would be, but he just knew he had to.

Cloud watched his retreating form as he left the kitchen. He let out a sigh. It seemed like it was always him that had to tell Riku the sad secrets behind this old, little orphanage. He picked up Riku's rag and began to clean in his place. He could at least…help Riku a little, before he had to get back to work.

Riku looked around for Reno in the living room, but could not find him anywhere. He then decided to head upstairs. He wondered where Reno could be. Usually he was just lurking around in the living room, but that was simply not the case this time. After he made it up the stairs, he looked in the various rooms, but Reno was nowhere to be found. There was only one room left, Cloud's room, which joined right next to Leon's. He opened the door and found the redhead sitting on Cloud's bed, running his thumb over a picture.

Reno turned to look at who had entered. He smiled sadly up at Riku; though Riku could tell that Reno tried to pass it off as a regular smile. It did not work. "Hey there, Riku," he greeted.

Riku took a few slow steps toward Reno. He then stopped. What was he supposed to say? He had no idea. He suddenly felt words choke in his throat, and his mouth felt like cotton. He had nothing to say. He just knew he had to find Reno. He had not thought about what he would say to the redhead. He was now stuck in a bind.

The silence stretched on and on—until somehow, words came from Riku's lips—but he did not feel like he was the one saying them. It was like he was watching the whole thing; and that he was just frozen in time, unable to move. "Cloud…told me."

All he had said were three little words; but Reno knew what they meant without any explanation. Reno motioned for Riku to come and sit down. Riku did so. There was a moment of silence, but finally Reno spoke. "I…grew up here, you know, as Cloud told you. My mother…got knocked up, and she had no idea who the father was. Yeah, she slept around that much. Well, she ended up having me, somehow, she didn't get an abortion, but didn't want to keep me herself, of course, so she gave me up for adoption, and I ended up here…"

"Reno, I'm—"

"Don't say you're sorry, Riku. You didn't do anything wrong," said Reno, interrupting him. "But it wasn't all bad here. I had some friends. I had some fun here. But it just wasn't enough for me…I wanted a family. I wanted a mom and a dad, and brothers and sisters… But no one would adopt me. No one would take me into their home. And you know, as I grew older I lost complete hope. No people adopt older children. They just want babies." Reno laughed bitterly. "But I wasn't even wanted as a baby, either. Well, I even tried to kill myself once, when I was twelve. It was…my birthday. I always hated my birthday. I came into this world, unwanted; and my mother gave me away the very day I was born. Why should I celebrate such a day?"

"Reno…you're not unwanted," Riku found his voice speaking. "I know, it may seem that way sometimes. But look at Kadaj, he loves you with all his heart, and you know it. Cloud and Leon—they're your friends. And Yuffie, Tifa, Aerith, and all the children here, parentless just like you. They all care about you. And…" Riku took in a deep breath. "…and I…like you, too. I wouldn't want you any other way, Reno. I'm…glad I've been able to meet you."

Reno smiled over at Riku, and Riku noticed this one was not sad. "Thank you…Riku. That means a lot to me." The minutes stretched on, and the two just sat there in the comforting silence. But then Reno decided to speak again. "No one…else knows this. No, not even Kadaj; so don't ask. I have never told anyone about this before—but I just feel like I have to tell someone. And…I want to tell you, Riku," said Reno, breathing in deeply. "I had decided that I would find my mom. I knew it was weird. I mean…she gave me up, right? She obviously didn't want me. So why the hell would I try to find her, anyway?" Reno smiled. Riku did not care for this smile. It was a bitter smile.

"I guess it was just that desire, ya know? Kids want to know about their parents; see who they are, maybe see a little of themselves in their parents. So…I searched for her for a long time—and then finally—I found her when I was sixteen. I went to where her apartment was—on my sixteenth birthday. You know, I expected she'd turn me away, or just act is if I didn't exist…or something like that. But I suppose I had a small glimmer of hope—that maybe—possibly—she'd want me now, realizing it was a mistake—that she never should have put me up for adoption. I was foolish, obviously. Well, I reached her apartment and knocked on the door. A woman with long brown hair opened the door—and for a moment, I thought it was my mom. Tears filled my eyes. But…that woman was not my mother. She was the person that was currently living there. She told me that she had been living there four years, and that the woman that had lived there before her, my mother, had killed herself."

Reno laughed bitterly again. Riku felt like it would deafen him. "It's funny, huh? My mother…killed herself when I tried to kill myself. Only, she succeeded. Swallowed a whole bottle of pills. Myself, on the other hand…I preferred to mark my wrists up. But…the lady there was kind, and she gave me this." Reno handed Riku a picture. "That's my mom. The lady said it was just left there in the apartment when she moved in. My mom…she had long, blonde hair…and bright green eyes. She was really…pretty." Reno then stopped, sighing slightly.

Riku looked down at the picture. The woman truly was beautiful. "She's…very beautiful, Reno," Riku said as he handed him back the picture. "Reno, I just want to tell you. You _do_ have a family. Everyone here—they're like your family, you know?"

Reno looked over at Riku. "I consider you a part of my family, too, Riku, don't forget that." Reno smiled. "Thanks, Riku." Riku leaned over and hugged Reno. The silence stretched on as they embraced, and Riku felt as if time stood still. Reno finally pulled away.

Riku stood up. "I'll…leave you alone, for a while. I'll see you later, Reno." Riku walked toward the door; but just as he was about to leave, he turned around to Reno and smiled. "Happy birthday, Reno. Today…is a day to celebrate. No more sadness, okay?" Reno smiled and nodded. Riku then left.

Riku went back to the kitchen, to see Cloud hard at work. Riku smirked as he walked over to the blond. "Now, now, I thought _I_ was the one doing the cleaning."

Cloud smiled softly. "I had some time...so I thought I could help a little." He then asked, "How's Reno doing?"

Riku smiled as he crouched down beside Cloud. "I…think he'll pull through. It seems like he's getting better. Now, where is Kadaj? I need to ask him something."

"He stepped outside for a moment," Cloud answered.

"I'll be back in a minute," Riku said as he left the kitchen once more. He felt the cold air hit him full force, and he immediately cursed himself for not wearing his jacket right now. Kadaj was sitting on the last step, and Riku walked down toward him and sat beside him. "Kadaj…I have an idea, if you'll just hear me out."

* * *

Riku had now resumed his cleaning. The kitchen was completely done (finally) it had taken so long, Riku thought he might just die from over-cleaning—but it had to be done. He had made up his mind to do it, and besides…he was helping here for a reason, after all. He was currently cleaning up the dining room—and Riku was quite thankful. It was most likely the cleanest room in the house. He would most likely finish before he would have to go to bed tonight. Soon dinner would be starting, though. And Riku just continued to busily clean, as the minutes ticked on by. He could hardly wait until it was time to eat. He would then see Sora again, and then they could eat together again.

He was vacuuming the floor, and he then…could it possibly be? No, it was simply impossible! Riku would **never** do such a thing! But it did seem to be so. Riku was…whistling to a Christmas song. And not just any Christmas song, he was whistling to "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Riku never liked to sing along to Christmas songs, as you already very well know, so it is quite a mystery why Riku would be whistling to one—especially since Riku also said he detested whistling.

"People are too damn merry for their own good," is what Riku had to say about whistling. Not very nice now, is it? Well, Riku was whistling along to a Christmas song, and as he continued to clean, he whistled to many different Christmas songs. It would seem that Riku was in quite a good mood. He turned off the vacuum and got out his rags for dusting. There were many things to dust in here, after all—so he wanted to quickly try and do some before Kadaj would say it was time for dinner.

Riku was just about to dust a photograph, when suddenly a shout came from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!" Riku sighed as his shoulders slumped. So he wasn't able to clean at all before it was time for dinner. Oh, well…this just meant he could see Sora even sooner. Riku smiled, feeling slightly giddy. He set his rag down and walked into the kitchen. Well, before he reached the kitchen, Kadaj and Aerith came to him—Kadaj about to set the food on the table, and Aerith was carrying two trays for Riku.

Riku took them from her, and she smiled gratefully. "Have fun…Riku."

"I will!" Riku called as he left the room. He went up the stairs quickly, and was soon in the room where Sora lay, and greeted the brunet enthusiastically. "Hey there, Sora! It's time for dinner."

Sora's lips twitched upwards. "I'm glad you came, Riku. When you're not here…I'm so lonely."

Riku sat down beside the brunet. "Well, I'll try and spend even more time with you, rather than just at meal times. Okay?"

Sora nodded as Riku handed him his tray. "A-all…all right."

As the two boys began to eat, Riku decided to strike up a conversation. "So…Sora, what's your favorite animal?" Yeah, it was random, but Riku liked knowing more about Sora's favorite things.

Sora thought over this a moment, chewing slowly. "Cats."

Riku's eyes grew wide. Was it…was it possible...? Did Sora just say the word…cats? Oh, no! It was too horrible to be true! There was no way Sora liked those detestable creatures! In Riku's opinion, they should all burn and die. Yes, that is the truth. "Cats, you say?" Riku repeated.

"Yes. I like…how they're all soft and fuzzy. And I love it when they purr." Riku grumbled. Cats were hideous creatures, but Sora was obviously blinded by them! They were evil masterminds behind cute exteriors, obviously. "What about you?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, I suppose I'm more of a dog person," Riku answered. A moment of silence, and then Riku asked another question. "So, Sora…what about your favorite season? Mine has to be summer—out of school and all that jazz."

"Spring," Sora answered immediately. "My favorite…is spring. When the snow melts away and spring comes forth, and the flowers bloom and the birds sing once more. I…love the springtime so much."

Riku smiled. "Wow, Sora, that's amazing. You're such a wonderful person."

"W-what?"

"I mean it. I've never met someone quite like you before. You amaze me."

"R-really?"

"Really."

And then something happened. It was so wonderful, Riku felt as if time stood still. His aquamarine eyes locked on Sora, as he smiled brightly. His eyes were shining, all lit up. It was a dead smile when it did not reach your eyes. And Sora's eyes were absolutely sparking. Riku did not take notice of the slight blush on Sora's cheeks—he was too caught up in his beautiful smile. Riku's smile grew wider. At that moment, he thought Sora looked angelic. He was astounded. He had just sworn to himself that he would fix Sora's smile—and he no longer even had to. His smile…was absolutely and utterly perfect.

_Oh…my gosh,_ thought Riku. _It's…it's absolutely perfect._

A slight smile was left on Sora's face, as he looked up at Riku. Before Riku knew what he was saying, he said, "Do it again."

"What?" said Sora, confused. He cocked his head to the side.

"Smile. You have…the most beautiful smile I have ever seen." Riku suddenly felt so dumb. How on earth could he say something like that? He must be insane! He sounded so damn stupid. _I am an idiot,_ thought Riku miserably.

Sora, meanwhile, was quite flustered and looked confused. "W-what?" He turned his gaze to look out the window, not daring to look at Riku.

"You heard me," was all Riku said as he looked down at his food.

Sora placed a hand over his mouth, not wanting Riku to see him smile again. He was so…embarrassed. His smile was not beautiful. Riku was completely wrong. Despite himself, he was smiling slightly behind his hand, and as he thought over what Riku said even more, his smile continued to grow.

Riku looked horrified. "Don't cover your smile, Sora," he said as he reached out a hand to touch Sora's, pulling it down enough so he could see his smile. It was absolutely stunning. Riku felt his breath hitch in his throat slightly. He had never thought a smile could be so beautiful. Riku never even thought about smiling. It was just something that felt normal—and that he saw many people do. He never thought something was so special about smiles—that is, until he saw Sora's. He had never seen a smile like that before. It…terrified him, really. What on earth was happening to him lately?

"There you go—there's your beautiful smile," said Riku. "I never want to see you hide your smile, Sora. Please tell me you won't."

Sora numbly nodded, picking back up his fork and resuming his dinner. Silence passed on for some time, as Riku continued to eat his dinner as well—a small smile hidden on his face, that Sora could not see. Riku felt like he was on top of the world. He had seen Sora's smile—and it was no longer broken.

* * *

Axel had had a pretty rough day so far. He found it was actually quite hard work helping out at Destiny Orphanage. He had to help clean and cook, and he had to keep the children entertained and watch out for them to make sure they did not get hurt—and if they did, he had to help them feel better. And one of the babies had actually gotten sick, and thrown up all over his clothes. Axel was not pleased about this one bit. No, he most certainly was not.

So his clothes were currently being washed, and he had had to borrow some of Zell's clothes. They were a bit big on him, and he felt like he was going to be swallowed up in them. He sighed as he gazed out the window, wondering what Roxas was doing right now.

* * *

Roxas had had a pretty rough day so far. As you already know, he detested his job. He found it to be utter crap—and he could not think of a worse job, though there surely was. And worst of all today…some stupid whackjob had knocked down all the items off the shelves in aisle five. And guess whom they decided to have clean it all up? Yep, Roxas. He sighed as he gazed out the window, for some reason wondering what Volcanohead was doing right now.

"Roxas? What on earth are you doing?" someone snapped at him.

Roxas grunted. "Oh, Vexen, just shut up and go back to the frozen food section. We all know about your freak-ish obsession with ice."

But Vexen acted as if he had not heard a word Roxas said. "Roxas, how could you be goofing off on the job? You're just looking out the window! I'm going to report you to the manager!"

Roxas looked horrified. Anything but that! The manager…was absolutely mad. Much crazier than Vexen, though that was quite a remarkable feat. Indeed, it was. See, the thing was, Vexen was a bagger, and most of the time, he ended up at the same checkout lane as Roxas. Roxas was very annoyed by this, to be sure. The manager had a sick sense of humor. "Oh, Vexen, no one's here anyway, and I wasn't goofing off. I was merely glancing out the window. What sort of big deal is that?"

But Vexen would hear none of it. Roxas groaned as he saw the platinum blond march off to the manager's office. Oh, he had gone and done it!

A few moments later, Vexen emerged with the manager in tow. Now, you see…the manager had a rather…intimidating presence about him. "All right, Roxas, Vexen told me you were looking out the window while on the job?" he asked.

"B-but…Mr. Xigbar, I simply looked out for a moment, and no one was at my check-out line anyway, so—"

"That will be enough," said Xigbar, holding his hand up. He then turned to Vexen, who had a broad grin on his face. "Stop bothering me with your tomfoolery, Vexen. Seriously, I have now missed part of _The Bold and the Beautiful_. Now I am going back to my office, and expect to _not_ be disturbed. Do we understand?"

Roxas and Vexen nodded their heads vigorously. When Xigbar was gone, Roxas stuck his tongue out at Vexen. "I told you, you ice dork."

Vexen looked extremely indignant. But then suddenly, a customer came up to Roxas' line, and Vexen scurried behind it—preparing to bag the items. He huffed. Roxas had been goofing off; it was completely true!

* * *

The day had been awful but somehow it suddenly seemed so much better when Roxas walked through that door. Axel's eyes lit up at the sight of him. It was rather curious, since Roxas seemed like he honestly did not like Axel, but Axel was so excited to see him. And besides…it seemed like Roxas was opening up to him a bit. Just a bit, anyway.

"Hi, Roxas!" Axel greeted enthusiastically.

"Go away, Volcanohead—my day sucked," was all Roxas said as he walked toward the staircase and began to climb the stairs

Axel, of course, quickly followed after him. He simply had no other option—now did he? "Well, my day sucked, too, Roxas. This baby threw up on me. I had to borrow clothes from Zell"

Roxas stopped and turned around to look at Axel. Indeed, his clothes looked too big for him, and Axel looked somewhat disgruntled. "Well, at least you didn't have to pick up every damn item on aisle five," Roxas muttered as he walked down the hallway and went into the room where he and the others slept.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least you don't still reek of puke, even after you've changed clothes and showered several times."

Roxas chuckled as he sat down on his bed. "You _do_ smell a little funny, now that I think about it, Volcanohead. But your day was simply minimal disaster-wise compared to mine."

But Axel would hear none of this. He had had an awful day! No matter how bad Roxas' was; his had obviously been worse! "I do not believe that," Axel said, crossing his arms as he sat down across from Roxas.

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Now really, Volcanohead, you must be joking. There is _no way_ yours was worse than mine. End of discussion."

"This is not the end of the discussion!" Axel objected, throwing his arms into the air.

"Well, I believe it is."

"No way in hell!"

Roxas looked angry now. "How **dare** you swear at me, you fucking idiot!"

Axel looked just as angry. "Are you friggin' kiddin' me? Not this again! And for goodness' sake, you just swore yourself, you big idiot!"

Roxas huffed. "If anyone is an idiot, it is you, and besides the point, _you_ are much bigger than I am!" Roxas objected. "And I do not care if I swear, I only care if _you_ swear."

"You are a lousy hypocrite," declared Axel, crossing his arms.

"Well, you are a lousy pyromaniac freak with even freakier hair!" declared Roxas. "I saw you set fire to paper—and you thought no one was watching you!" Roxas continued.

Axel's emerald eyes widened. "H-how did you see?" Yes, all his friends and family knew about his little obsession with fire, but so far no one knew about it here!

Roxas smirked. "You silly, silly goose. You were in the bathroom. I had to go and I saw you right there."

Axel suddenly gasped.

"What?"

"You were _stalking_ me!" he exclaimed.

Roxas looked plumb horrified at this. "Are you fucking kidding me? There is _no way_ I would _ever_ stalk you! "

"Liar!"

"Pyro!"

"Hypocrite!"

"Giant!"

"Shorty!"

"Fucker!"

"Fucker times two!"

"Oh, how original, you dumbass pyro!"

"Well, you're one to talk, you fucking idiot!"

"Swearer!"

"Hypocrite!"

And so, it went on and on, until it was time for Axel to finally leave. The two boys even skipped dinner. Oh, Axel…I fear you are not furthering your relationship with Roxas, but driving it further apart…

* * *

Demyx was bored. Zexion was attempting to read a book. _David Copperfield_ by Charles Dickens **(1)**, actually. He was quite caught up in it. But Demyx was bored, and this was always a bad sign. First, he began to tap his foot out of sheer boredom—and as this happened, you could see a slight scowl on Zexion's face. He was being disturbed.

And then, Demyx had to just go ahead and start tapping his fingers on the desk. After all, he often tapped his fingers, as Riku witnessed earlier. It was a habit Demyx had picked up, like someone biting their fingernails or whistling or snapping their fingers. Surely out of all of them, Demyx had gone and picked the most annoying one Though Zexion rather hated whistling as well…

Finally, Zexion could take no more, and shouted out, "Oh, Demyx, for the love of all that is good and holy, just SHUT UP!"

Demyx stared at Zexion for a moment. He then blinked. Several times. "Oh, you don't mean that, Zexy," was all Demyx said.

"Yes, I do mean it. And don't call me Zexy! You know I hate it so much!" shouted Zexion, putting his bookmark in and slamming _David Copperfield_ shut. Obviously, he would not get a chance to read anymore. After all, it was just _too_ distracting. And now he was prepared for a fight with Demyx. Life could not be any more perfect.

"Oh, but I like it," Demyx complained.

"Well, I don't," said Zexion, glancing out the window. For once, it was not snowing.

"But I love it because you're sexy, Zexy, so the nickname fits you."

Zexion tore his gaze away from the window and instead looked at Demyx for quite some time. There was the faintest bit of redness on his cheeks. And he was attempting to hide a smile of embarrassment on his face.

Demyx grinned widely at this. "What is that I see?" he asked. "Is that a smile?"

Zexion covered over his mouth and turned away. "Shut up."

Demyx laughed. "I love you so much, Zexion."

And now…the tinge of pink on Zexion's cheeks turned darker. He stood up and left the room, merely grunting. Demyx smiled as he left. He then noticed the book Zexion had left behind. He decided to pick it up and read it. Honestly, Demyx had never read that much; books just did not really interest him. But Zexion loved them so much…he decided to try this one out.

* * *

And so now Riku and Sora had finished their dinner—and Riku knew he would have to get back to cleaning soon, but he just did not feel like he could go now. He was enjoying Sora's company way too much to leave just yet. Riku lay back down on his bed, crossing his arms behind his head. "So, Sora, tell me? What do you really like to do?" he asked.

Sora turned to gaze at him. He was caught off guard with this question. "W-what?"

"I mean, what do you like to do for fun? I mean, it probably gets really boring up here, right?"

"I…I don't really…know," said Sora, turning away. "I-I suppose I like to draw."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Y-yes." Sora twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"That's fantastic!" Riku exclaimed. "Can I see any of them?"

Sora stared at Riku, somewhat horrified. He had never…shown people his drawings before. He felt nervous, and somewhat excited. His heartbeat quickened. He licked his dry lips. "I suppose," he said, lifting up his pillow and pulling out his sketchpad. "Here they are," he said, handing it to Riku.

Riku took the sketchpad from Sora's small hands and began to look through it. He was…amazed. "Sora…this is stunning." So many of the pictures were of nature: cherry blossom trees, starry skies, sunsets, flowers, the ocean, and so many more. They all seemed so…_real_. They were beautifully colored and so detailed that Riku nearly felt as if he were looking at a photograph. He flipped to another page. For a change, it was actually people. Two people to be precise.

It was a man and a woman. That man looked quite a bit like Sora, with the same spiky hair, but it was black, and he had stunningly green eyes. He was tall and broad-shouldered. The woman standing beside him had long, curly brown hair, and tanned skin—and looked a lot like Sora as well. She looked to be very petite. _She has his eyes,_ Riku thought, his fingers ghosting over the picture. He looked up at Sora.

"Sora…are these your parents?" he asked.

Sora looked at the picture, startled. He slowly nodded his head. "Yes…those are my parents."

"They look wonderful, Sora," said Riku. "And they looked a lot like you, too."

"I know," Sora mumbled. "Well, that's the last one." Sora was expecting Riku to hand him back his sketchpad.

But you see, Riku had already flipped the page. He said, "Hey, no it's not, Sora, there's one more here."

Sora looked horrified. "Give it back!" he demanded.

Riku looked up at him, startled. He had never heard Sora shout before. That was strange. "What's the deal, Sora? I love your drawings, so I want to see it." And then Riku glanced down at the picture. His aquamarine eyes widened slightly in surprise. Well…he had not expected that at all. It was another person. This time, the person had silver hair, was tall, and had aquamarine eyes. The person had a demanding presence, but had the slightest bit of a smile apparant on his face. It was…himself.

"Is this…me?" Riku asked, somewhat stunned.

Sora's cheeks burned and he snatched the sketchbook back. "Y-yes it is y-you," he stammered.

Riku was amazed. No one had ever drawn a picture of him before. Did he really look like that? He was not sure. Obviously Sora made him look better than he really did—he knew that. But he was so stunned he really could not speak. He hesitated before he looked up at Sora, who was staring down at his hands, the sketchbook hidden back under his pillow.

"Thanks…for drawing me," Riku said simply.

Sora looked up at him. He then looked back down. "Y-you're welcome."

Suddenly, Kadaj burst into the room, and then everyone followed in behind him—save Reno.

"Riku, it's time," said Kadaj.

Riku nodded; Sora merely looked confused.

* * *

It was now time for Axel to leave and head home, and he was quite tired, indeed. After all, he had been fighting for a long time with Roxas now, and the only thing that broke it up was he having to leave. He walked over to the door, with one last glance at Roxas before he went out the door. He said, "Goodbye, Roxas." After all, Axel was trying to make amends now, even if it _was_ rather late for that now.

Roxas looked up from reading his comic book. His ears perked up at the goodbye that was insult free. "Goodbye, Volcanohead."

Axel smiled to himself as he exited the orphanage and went to the bus stop to sit down on the bench. Yes, Volcanohead may not seem like anything to smile over, but Axel was a strange boy, so it must be done. It felt like things had gone back to normal…and tomorrow, Axel would make sure to apologize for all the awful things he said.

Axel glanced at his watch. There was actually quite a bit of time before the bus would be coming. He glanced back in the direction of the orphanage and then looked at his watch again. He stood up and darted back from whence he came. He had to go quickly, after all. He pumped his arms and legs back and forth, and suddenly felt a stitch in his side. "Oh, damn you!" he shouted, realizing he had not drunk enough water today. Ooh, it hurt…

But finally, he reached Destiny Orphanage, out of breath, and the stitch in his side hurt painfully. He opened the door, and walked in, hunching over slightly. Immediately Roxas noticed him, being torn away from his comic book once more.

"Why are you back, Volcanohead?" he asked. "Did you forget something?"

Axel shook his head, unable to speak. He gripped his side as he walked over to where Roxas was and just plopped down on the couch.

"Stitch in your side?" Roxas asked.

Axel nodded.

"Walk around and put your arms behind your head. It makes it feel better."

Axel was surprised but did not show it, for he simply stood up and walked around a bit, with his arms behind his head as Roxas instructed. It did work, and Axel was quite grateful. Roxas had actually helped him. "Thanks," said Axel, finally stopping his walking and sitting back down on the couch.

Roxas grunted. "Whatever."

Axel breathed in deeply. He had come back for a reason, after all. "Roxas, I…want to apologize for all the horrible things I said. I was completely out of line. I am so sorry."

To be sure, Roxas was surprised, and he sure as heck showed it. "A-are you serious?"

Axel nodded slightly. "I sure am."

Roxas hesitated before speaking. "W-well, whatever, Volcanohead," he said as he turned his head away, crossing his arms. A moment passed by in semi-awkward silence. And then…

"I'm sorry."

Axel looked shocked, to be sure. He never dreamed in his life that he would hear Roxas apologize. He smiled broadly. "Apology accepted!"

Roxas grunted in response. Axel turned to leave again. He needed to catch his bus, after all. But before he was completely out the door, he turned around and gave Roxas a dazzling smile. "Goodbye, Roxas, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I-I…I don't have work tomorrow," said Roxas. He quickly added, "Just in case you were wondering, ya know."

Axel's smile only widened and he waved before he was gone. "I can't wait until tomorrow!"

And then he was gone.

* * *

Riku smiled as he looked at Kadaj. "Do you want to go get Reno now?"

Kadaj simply nodded and walked out of the room. He went down the long hallway, and finally entered Cloud's room, where Reno still resided. He hesitated before going through the door. He raised his fist to knock, but then put it back down, and simply entered. There Reno was, sitting on Cloud's bed, just staring off into space. He sensed Kadaj's presence.

"Is that you, Kay-Kay?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kadaj as he walked over to Reno. "Come on, I need your help. There's a big mess in one of the bedrooms."

Reno stood up and began to head towards the door. "Which one?"

"The teens' room."

And so the two walked down the hallway, and when they entered the room, Reno was quite shocked to be sure.

"SURPRISE!" yelled everyone in the room, even Sora.

There were streamers around and confetti was thrown on him, and he saw a big birthday cake there, specially baked for him by Kadaj. Reno's eyes watered up slightly. He hugged Kadaj. "Thank you so much, Kadaj."

"It wasn't my idea," said Kadaj, glancing at Riku.

Reno smiled widely as he walked over to Riku and hugged him instead. "Thank you so much, Riku. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Riku actually hugged Reno back. "You're very welcome, Reno."

Reno pulled away and looked around at everyone's smiling faces. "All right, people, who's ready to eat some cake?"

Everyone cheered. Yuffie looked the most hyper about it, really. "Yes! Cake! Cake! CAKE!"

And everyone got a piece of cake, and Riku sat down across from Sora, handing him a piece of cake.

"Do you like cake, Sora?" Riku asked him.

Sora took the cake from Riku. "Yes…I…like it a lot."

"Well, everyone does, right?" said Riku, grinning widely.

Reno then bounded up from nowhere and sat down beside Riku. "So, how's it goin', Riku, you having fun?"

"Yes, thank you, Reno."

"No problem," said Reno patting Riku on the back. "I mean, how could you _not_ be having a good time when you're around such a handsome guy as myself? I mean, get real."

Riku's left eye twitched. So it seemed like Reno was back to his normal self. "Congrats on that, Reno."

Reno grinned, and then went back to pester Kay-Kay. Riku smiled and looked up at Sora again. "Shall we?"

"I-I suppose."

And so the two ate their cake together. Today had most certainly been an eventful day. And Riku could hardly wait to see what tomorrow would hold for him and everyone else here.

* * *

**1 – **My mom's favorite author ever is Charles Dickens. :) She just loves him so much! I've yet to read David Copperfield—but I really want to read it soon! And you know…I just thought it seemed like it would be something Zexion would want to read. Whenever I write him, I always make him love books.

**Next chapter: **Riku finishes his cleaning, Axel and Roxas are found in a very compromising position, and Riku takes Sora outside yet again!

And so, that is all. When I think about it now, Axel and Roxas are actually starting to get closer. Well, by that ending, anyway. I can't wait to write them in the eighth chapter! -Squeals- Hehe. I love them. xD

And also, I hope my readers didn't think this was too sad of a chappy. Right when I had begun writing this, I had already decided that Reno would have been an orphan here as well—so it was a really old idea, and I really wanted to use it. ;)

Also…this chapter was a bit shorter than they usually are on AUG…heh, that's a bit funny. O.O Anyway, I'll see you all next time! And don't forget to leave me lots of lovely **reviews!** I appreciate them so much. :)


	8. Don't Treat Me Bad

Hello, you wonderful people! Man…I can't believe the Oscars aren't that far away. I am backing up No Country for Old Men all the way. Such an awesome movie! And if it doesn't win…you all will be sure to hear my rant about in on here. :D Has anyone seen it? Other movies I loved this year (2007) were: There Will Be Blood, Into the Wild, Across the Universe, Once, Sweeney Todd, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Enchanted, Juno, 3:10 to Yuma, The Kite Runner, August Rush, and Ratatouille. :)

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't _want _to help them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** Yes…I own Kingdom Hearts. A copy of all three games, that is. And I own the soundtrack, the manga, and my Sora plushie and my Axel figure. Yeppers, tis awesome. I want to get the Demyx plushie. O-O Man, I wish there were a Riku plushie…

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** Bwahaha. I love you all who review. If you like the story enough to add it to your favorites, people, leave a review! Just a few words—that's good enough for me, yo. ;) But seriously...I love you all. :)

**A/N:** Okay, I believe this may be my favorite chappy so far. XD The title is for Axel and Roxas this time, which is funny, because all the titles so far have either been because of Riku or Sora (or both). Although ch. 6's title was for Cleon... But it's a lot of fun. ;) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 8. Don't Treat Me Bad

_"__Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._" — **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Riku was very tired. Somehow or other, he had managed to finish cleaning the entire orphanage. Truthfully, it was very exhausting, and in the end, Kadaj, Reno, Yuffie, Cloud, and Tifa all ended up helping him some. Once Kadaj started cleaning, though…he got really into it. It was then discovered that Kadaj was a cleanaholic, and would most likely never let this orphanage get so dusty and mucky and unclean as it was. After all, he did not have to cook all _day_ now did he?

Riku sighed as he leaned back in a chair. He honestly felt like taking a nap now, for he was very tired, but fate was against Riku, so this did not happen. Instead, someone bounded up to him and tugged on his silver hair. He screamed out, "GACK!" for he was quite shocked indeed, and was nearly asleep as well. "Who the hell did that?" He looked around frantically. He then looked down. Ah…

"Hi there, other Riku!" said Rikku, giggling. "Were you asleep?"

"Nearly," Riku muttered, running a hand through his hair. He then yawned. "Y'know, I sure am tired."

"Are you too tired to play with me?" Rikku asked, disheartened.

Riku smiled, laughing slightly. He stood up out of his chair and patted Rikku's head. "Why, of course I'm not too tired to play with you. I'm never too tired to play with you, Rikku. You're one of the coolest people in here, you know."

Rikku beamed. A moment later she tugged on Riku's wrist, forcing him to come over to Yuna and Paine, whom were her best friends. "Come on, Riku! We want to play Truth or Dare!"

"Truth…or Dare?" Riku said, shivering slightly, a psychotic grin on his face. Oh, he had had a bad experience with that horrid game when he was in elementary school, and he most certainly did not want to relive it. It…it was utterly horrid! But Rikku dragged him on, and somehow managed to get him to sit with her circle of friends. Riku's head began to tick to the side, and his eye began to twitch. Oh, no… This simply would _**not**_ do.

* * *

Now, to be sure, I surely had to close the curtain of mercy where the scene cut off, for Riku's fear of Truth or Dare was relived for sure…tenfold. He swore he would never play that game again as long as he lived. No matter how much anyone wanted him to play it, he would simply refuse. Dares were horrid, but truths were usually even worse. But Riku was immensely surprised to find out how horrible dares were with these young girls. They sure had…vivid and wild imaginations. Riku shivered at the thought of it.

He shuffled out into the living room and plopped down there on the couch. He needed time to recover before lunch, and to be frank, he was rather tired and…scarred for life, to be quite brutally honest. And I mean _quite_ brutally honest. No, no…you cannot even_ imagine_ what traumatic experience Riku had just been through! It is impossible to even do so.

Riku was nearly asleep on the couch, when someone bounded up to him..._again_. Thankfully, it was not Rikku, and for that matter, it was not a child at all. Well, in Riku's opinion, it was perhaps worse. After all—it _is _Yuffie we are talking about here. Not any normal person, by any means. Riku groaned aloud when he realized it was her, after hearing her speak to him, as if she wanted something from him. Oh, now what was she planning?

"Riku, darling, I have something to tell you," she said, grinning mischievously.

"Oh, please, just get it over with. I want the bad news to be over with as quickly as possible," said Riku, dreading what was yet to come.

"Oh, well if you _insist_, Riku," said Yuffie, batting her eyelashes in a flirting manner. She then laughed at Riku's horrified expression. She patted his back. "Haha! Riku, I was only kidding! I wasn't flirting with you. Believe me, we _all_ know you're gay now." Riku grunted. "What I was going to say is that since you have gone to the trouble to help tidy this place up, we decided we want to do even better with it as well. So, would you help us paint tomorrow? Leon's going to go pick up the paint tomorrow, too."

"No," was Riku's immediate response.

"It will be fun," insisted Yuffie.

"No," was still Riku's response.

"Come on, Riku!" Yuffie said, tugging on his arm.

Riku kept a firm, stony, serious expression on his face. He then burst out laughing. Yuffie looked confused. "Hahaha! Yuffie, I was only joking! Of course I'll help you all paint! After all, I am helping out here, y'know. Besides, this place could really use a new coat of paint. Let's get it all fixed up, all right?"

Yuffie smiled brightly and hugged Riku. "Riku, you're the best!" She then skipped away to go tell Cloud the good news.

Riku watched her retreating form with a small smile. _You know_… he thought,_ she's really not that bad._ Riku suddenly looked horrified at his own thoughts. _Oh, how could I ever think something like that? I must be crazy!_ But in reality, Riku really…did want to help, and he found that…Yuffie really was not so bad after all.

Riku knew lunch was about to start, but Riku suddenly had an idea. He ran up the stairs like a light, wanting to see Sora immediately. He burst into the room, a wild smile on his face as he spotted Sora and ran over to him. "Sora, would you like to go out and eat lunch with me? We could go outside…and it would be really nice!"

Sora seemed shocked, to be sure. And at first he simply blinked and did not answer. Riku seemed heartbroken and his eyes fell. But then Sora smiled brightly, taking Riku by surprise, and exclaimed, "I would love to, Riku!"

Riku seemed overjoyed by Sora's answer, and actually bounced up in the air slightly. "G-great!" He then stopped bouncing and stared into Sora's deep blue eyes. "W-well, do you want to go now?"

Sora nodded, a slight smile still intact on his lips, and his eyes were sparkling. "Let's go."

"L-let's go!" Riku repeated, but slightly louder, and he even sounded a tad nervous. After all, the last time he and Sora went outside, Sora had had a panic attack, remembering…_that day_ again. Riku grimaced at the thought. It made his heart fill with sorrow. He just wished…that Sora could be happy—all the time. He never wanted to see the brunet sad. It made him…sad as well.

Riku picked up Sora in his arms, and they headed out of the room and down the hallway. Riku laughed when they reached the stairs. "Well, Sora, aren't you just glad I'm not dumb enough to do _that_ again?" said Riku, remembering every bump and loud noise as they went down the stairs with Sora in his wheelchair.

Sora chuckled slightly. "Y-yeah, I was kind of scared…when we went down that time."

"Well, don't worry, Sora, it won't happen again." They reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the door. Riku quickly called out to Cloud, "Cloud, Sora and I are going out for lunch, okay? We'll be back soon!"

Cloud called out that he heard them and that it was okay; Riku and Sora then exited.

Once Sora was all set in his wheelchair, Riku began to push him down the sidewalk. Riku began to whistle once more. It seemed Riku was taking quite a liking to this…whistling business. Sora smiled softly as he listened to Riku whistle. He really…liked how Riku whistled. It sounded very sweet.

"So, Sora, what restaurant would you like to go to?" Riku asked.

"I-I…I don't really know," Sora said quietly.

"Well, there are a lot of great restaurants around here, believe me. So do have any sort of idea?"

Sora looked around from his right to his left. He really…was not sure. "Well, is there a…Chili's around here?"

Riku's face lit up. "Excellent choice, Sora! I love that place! And there's one near here, too. Well, let's get movin'."

* * *

Axel was very excited when he reached Destiny Orphanage this morning, for Roxas would not be at work, and that meant he could try and…have nice conversations with Roxas, even though that probably seemed impossible, he still wanted to try it. Well…it sort of fell flat. As soon as he entered the orphanage, and when he greeted Roxas with a cheerful hello, Roxas simply told him to "Go to hell," to be quite brutally honest. Yeah…Roxas was not in the best of moods.

"Aw, but Roxas, I thought you and I could actually spend a bit more time with each other today, since you didn't have to work and all," said Axel.

"Are you out of your mind?" Roxas asked, somewhat bewildered. "What on _earth_ would ever make you think that, Volcanohead?"

Axel suddenly felt like a fool, and felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on him. Oww... "W-well, let's at least try and get to know each other a bit better, all right? How old are you, Roxas?"

"Sixteen, Volcanohead, sixteen."

"Well, that's nice. I'm seventeen. What's your favorite color?" Axel asked.

"Green," Roxas answered. "And just to let you know, Volcanohead, I'm not answering your questions because I like you or enjoy your company or anything—I am simply bored, and there is nothing to do here."

Axel acted as if he had simply not heard the last part of that. After all, it was rather…mean of Roxas to say such a thing, and Axel would rather choose to believe he heard no such thing. "Really? Well, I think mine's either really red or orange…the color of fire and all that jazz. But I really like blue, too. I really love when the sea looks to be a dark blue, I think it's really quite beautiful."

"Wow, Volcanohead, I think that's the deepest thing you have ever said."

"Really?"

"Really. But deep for you is the norm for other people, so yeah, still nothing that great about it or anything," said Roxas, placing his right ankle over his left, and crossing his arms behind his head. He was resting back on the couch, while Axel was right near him in a chair. Roxas blinked several times, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, he said, clearing his throat, "Y-y'know, you can ask me more questions—i-if you want to. I-I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do."

Axel smiled broadly. "All right, Roxas, what's your favorite sport?"

"Blitzball," Roxas answered immediately. "Could it honestly be anything else?"

Axel's smile grew into a grin. "Really? I'm on the blitzball team at my school! Have you ever played?"

Roxas frowned. "Nevermind, blitzball sucks."

Axel looked completely taken aback. "Now really, Roxas, how can you change just because I'm on the blitzball team?"

And then laughter was heard. Axel blinked. So…Roxas was laughing? What on earth was he laughing about? "Geez, Volcanohead! I'm not that stupid! I was just joking! Of course I still love blitzball—you won't change that for me."

Axel chuckled himself. "O-oh, okay then. Haha. Good one, Roxas." Axel then asked, "So have you ever really played blitzball?"

Roxas shook his head. "No, not really. I really want to play it sometime, though. I love watching it so much."

Axel smiled softly. "All right then, Roxas, will you play a game of blitzball with me some time?"

Roxas stared at Axel for a moment; finally, he nodded his head. "Yeah…that would be nice." He quickly added with a nervous cough, "E-even if it would be with a stupid Volcanohead like you."

Now it was Axel's turn to laugh.

Roxas looked insulted. "What the hell are you laughing at, Volcanohead?" he shouted.

"Y-you're just—really funny, Roxas. I don't think I've ever met someone like you before. You're very different," Axel explained.

"How dare you call me different!"

"What's so wrong?" Axel was thoroughly confused.

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? Everyone knows different is bad!" Roxas explained.

"But I meant different in a good way!" Axel said.

"Different is never good!" Roxas shouted.

"Different is good in my opinion! It means you're not a carbon copy of everyone else!"

Roxas stopped and thought this over a minute. "Hmm…since you put it that way, I suppose it's all right."

Axel grinned. "So, Roxas, what's your favorite food?"

"Pizza," Roxas answered.

"Really? Mine's pizza, too. Heh. Seems like we have a lot more in common then we first thought."

And so Axel kept on asking Roxas questions, and Roxas kept answering them. He was rather bored, after all. And perhaps…? Yes, perhaps he was even enjoying it just the tiniest bit, though of course Roxas would never admit that. After all, Axel is a Volcanohead and all that jazz…

* * *

Riku and Sora were all settled in Chili's and had already ordered. So while they waited for their food, Riku thought this would be an excellent time to talk to Sora. For a few minutes, Riku just stared at the brunet, and the brunet seemed entirely oblivious to Riku's aquamarine eyes boring practically into his very soul. Yes, Riku was staring _that_ intensely.

"So, Sora…do you like any music, really?"

"What?" Sora said, bewildered, snapping his face around to look at Riku.

"I asked what sort of music you like. I mean, what kind, really?" Riku clarified.

Sora twiddled his thumbs under the table. "O-oh…I suppose I like rock—and classical."

"Wow, those are two entirely different genres," said Riku, laughing softly.

Sora's face grew slightly red, and he grew even more nervous. "I-I'm sorry if they're not good choices."

Riku looked completely and wholly taken aback; he did not mean it that way! "N-no!" he shouted slightly louder than he wanted to and as he stood up quickly. Several people were now staring, Riku looked around at them before he sank back into his seat. He laughed nervously. Finally, everyone resumed their lunch. Riku cleared his throat before speaking. "A-anyway, Sora, I didn't mean it that way. It's good to see a teenager in this day and age actually enjoying classical music. So...who's like your favorite composer?"

"Beethoven**(1)**," Sora answered immediately. "But Mozart's a close second. They're both so wonderful. Chopin is really good, too. And of course, Brahms is excellent."

Riku was smiling like mad. Sora usually did not talk too much and with so much excitement in his voice. It was so wonderful to hear. The brunet was still going on about different composers.

"And I also love Schumann—especially the Carnival," Sora added as an afterthought. He then blushed in embarrassment. "W-was I talking too much?"

"Of course not!" Riku answered immediately. "Y-ya know, it's good to talk a lot; tell people what you're feeling, what you like—you don't want all the words to get bottled up in your head and never take form, Sora."

Sora smiled up at Riku. "I-is that so?"

"It is," the silver-haired boy assured him.

Sora continued to smile. "S-so, Riku, what kind of music do _you_ like?"

Riku was caught off-guard by this. Usually Sora did not speak to him purposely, or at least ask him a question. Usually the boy was quieter—but perhaps he was taking Riku's own advice. If so, that would be simply wonderful. "Well, I really listen to rock music, you know? I really like it—what with the guitar and the drums and the bass—it's just a wonderful sound, really. And I especially love the '80s music, though I'm not too much into all the synthesizers part of it—but even it's pretty good."

"You like the '80s?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, especially. And I really like the '60s and '70s, too. I mean you can't get much better than The Beatles. And besides, there are so many other great groups that emerged back then. All in all, the '60s was one of the greatest decades for music ever."

Sora grinned.

And this is when Riku realized he had never seen Sora grin before. Only recently even had he seen his true, brilliant smile. It was only just yesterday, actually—for some reason it felt like a lifetime ago, and yet at the same time felt like it had just happened. But Riku had never seen the brunet grin before, so this was quite a shock for him. He did not say anything to Sora like he did about his smile, he did not want to make the brunet even more embarrassed like last time; so Riku decided to keep his mouth shut, but inside, he was doing a little happy dance.

_Hooray! Sora grinned! I finally saw Sora grin! He is just too wonderful!_ Riku cheered in thought.

_Whom is too wonderful, Riku dear?_ asked the voice.

Riku growled mentally. _Hey, I thought you weren't showing up as much lately._

_Mere technicalities, Riku. Anyway, yes, I am not here as often because you are getting better. You are finally succumbing and giving into the person you are meant to be, which, believe me, is about time. Honestly, it should have happened ages ago,_ said the voice.

_Oh, you shut up. I know I've given in, okay? What else am I supposed to do?_ Riku asked.

_Give in all the way,_ said the voice.

Riku was confused by this. _Give into what?_ he asked the voice. But the voice did not respond. What on earth did that mean…? Riku was left thoroughly confused. He continued to call for the voice, but the voice was gone. Riku was beginning to think that perhaps the voice had left for good. He was…relieved but also somewhat sad. The voice ended up helping him usually—even if he did not want to admit it. And it would be like the loss of an old friend. It was just too weird. Especially since the voice was technically he...

And besides, the voice had left him with an awful question. _What_ did the voice want him to give into all the way? It made absolutely no sense, and honestly, Riku was wishing the voice would return and answer him. But that did not happen.

The silence stretched on as Riku realized that he had not spoken to Sora for a long time—and the silence was getting somewhat awkward. Riku twiddled his thumbs, thinking of what to say. It was odd. Usually whenever Riku was around Sora, he could think of millions of things to say, but suddenly—it seemed so much harder, and he was not so sure of himself after all.

Riku knew he had to say something. …But what? Honestly, anything would be sufficient to break the silence. Sora was just glancing around, not really sure where to rest his eyes on. He surely could not lay his eyes on Riku; so he opted for just glancing around in every direction. The silence was getting heavier and heavier, and Riku knew he had to say something now, or else he would hate himself for the rest of his life. Why? He did not really know himself, to be honest.

"Sora," he croaked out, "I-I just want to say…_" __What the hell am I saying?_ Riku thought._What the hell am I doing?_ Honestly, Riku did not really know at all what he was saying, but the words were leaving his mouth before he could think over them. "…I'm really glad that I signed up at this orphanage—and that I've been able to meet you. I honestly have to say that I was a very different person before I met you, and believe me…I wasn't…the best person before. I just wanted you to know…that I really take joy in the times we spend together like this. I can honestly not think of anything I would rather be doing."

_What the hell did you just say?_ Riku screamed at the top of his lungs in his head. Oh, no… He was in trouble. **Serious **trouble, I tell you! What on earth had he just rambled off about? To be honest, it was true, but that was entirely beside the point!

Still unable to meet Riku's eyes, Sora looked down at the hands in his lap. There was a slight tint to his cheeks, but Riku paid no attention to this at all. It seemed Riku was unable to notice a blush—especially when it was on Sora's face.

Riku's heart fell. Sora was not speaking. _Oh no!_ he thought. _He probably thinks I'm a total freak now! Oh, what the fuck will I do?_ Riku groaned mentally.

And then Sora spoke. Truthfully, it was very quietly, and Riku barely even heard it. "I…I'm glad, too, Riku. Th-thank you."

Well, to be quite blunt, Riku was stunned. "Y-you're welcome," he said back.

And then their food came. Riku thanked God in thought. He was finally given a break for once in his life!

* * *

The question asking had finally stopped for Axel. See, Roxas had gotten bored again, and Roxas was quite upset with how much he found out he had in common with Axel. So Roxas took off in a huff. After a moment, Axel followed behind him. See, Axel is quite dumb for certain situations…he does not always realize when he should leave someone alone, so he tends to get himself in a bad situation and annoy people even more.

And you see, Axel seemed to think of himself as a lost puppy, and he must have assumed Roxas was his owner…because he tended to follow Roxas. A lot.

Roxas slammed the door shut and went over to his bed. A moment later, the door opened again, but this time it was shut quietly, not slammed. Roxas already knew what had happened.

"What the hell do you want, Volcanohead?" Roxas asked. Surprisingly, it was not harsh like his tone usually was. It was…well…gentler. But only _slightly, _mind you.

"I just wondered why you ran off like that," Axel answered. "You just kind of took off—you didn't even say anything. Did I say something to offend you?"

"No," Roxas answered flatly.

"Well, then what is it?"

"You annoy me," said Roxas. "How many times will I have to say this before you get it through your thick skull?"

Surprisingly, Axel laughed. "Hah. I _do_ have a thick skull." He hit his hand against it for emphasis. "Once I was riding my bike without a helmet, which you should never do, by the way, and I fell off and hit my head. But it didn't really get hurt that badly. Came off with just a mild concussion. They said I could have cracked my skull."

Roxas stared at Axel blankly. "Which proves that you are even more of an idiot than I first presumed."

Axel sat down beside Roxas. "Roxas…I thought we were having a good time for once. We were getting to know about each other better. And hey, we have a lot of things in common, too!"

"That is precisely the problem!" Roxas exclaimed, standing back up. "We have _too_ many things in common! How on earth can I have so many things in common with a…with a freak of nature like you!" Roxas gripped his head and began to whisper to himself. "No, no, it's impossible…impossible. There's no way this could be happening. Hey, maybe I'm dreaming—and Volcanohead does not exist at all. Oh, my, what a better world that would be!"

"Uh, Roxas…I'm still here," Axel pointed out.

"Blast!" Roxas exclaimed, stopping his little conversation with himself. Perhaps it was best that it had stopped when it did. Or else Roxas may have gone insane…

"Roxas, you know that I just want to learn more about you. Hey, why don't you ask _me_ questions instead. It could be fun!" Axel suggested, grinning.

Roxas crossed his arms and thought over this for quite some time. Finally, he nodded his head. "All right, then. Why are you as stupid as you are?"

Axel sighed. "I didn't mean for you to ask a question like _that,"_ Axel pointed out.

Roxas shrugged, tilting his head. "Ah, well. You wanted me to ask you questions, so I'm going to ask them, 'kay? And you have to answer too, because it would be such bad manners if you didn't."

Axel suppressed the urge to scream. Oh, how infuriating it all was! Really…how could Roxas ask such a thing like this? Whenever Axel felt like he was getting slightly closer to Roxas, something happened to drive them even further apart. It was maddening. But he just decided he needed to answer Roxas, anyway. "I'm not stupid, Roxas," he answered.

Roxas blew on his fingernails, pretending to ignore Axel. "Oh, Volcanohead, you did not answer the question correctly. For you _are_ stupid."

Axel growled lowly in his throat. "Ask me something else; I don't think it's a fair question."

"All right," said Roxas, nodding. He stood up as he walked about the room, thinking. "So…what are your grades in school?"

Axel blinked. Well, he had not really expected that, to be honest. "A's in almost everything, save Math, which I usually get a B in."

Roxas turned on his heel and stared at Axel. "So, are you really not stupid, then? Well, academics wise, you may not be—but when it comes to certain things, you most certainly are."

Axel stood up, finally truly angry. "You know, Roxas, I don't think you're being very fair. I'm not stupid and you know it. I like being around you and enjoy your company, but it is quite obvious that the feeling is not mutual—and I'm starting to get sick of all your constant criticisms and insults thrown my way."

Roxas looked shocked and took a step backwards; Axel took another step forward, booming over Roxas. This was when Roxas realized just how tall Axel really was. "I-I—what do you mean?" Roxas stammered, confused.

"You know very well what I mean," Axel answered, taking another step towards Roxas.

And this is where Axel went and became a klutz yet again. He stepped on his shoelaces (though, truthfully, they were _quite_ too long in the first place) and fell forward, knocking Roxas over. The redhead landed on top of the blond. Roxas' face immediately heated up. And just at that precise moment, Rinoa and Zell opened the door and came in.

You see…Axel was flush on top of Roxas, and his hands were on either side of Roxas, and his face was really, _really_ close to Roxas'… So if anyone were to come in on them now, without knowing that the two were fighting, one would think well…_you know._

Rinoa blushed and spoke nervously. "E-erm…s-sorry to barge in on you like this."

While Zell, on the other hand, merely pointed and laughed at the two. Rinoa closed the door quickly, Zell's laughter still audible through the shut door.

Roxas looked up at Axel, panic-stricken. He then attempted to push the boy off. "Get the fuck off me, Volcanohead!"

Axel complied, looking freaked out as well, to be honest. And perhaps the faintest bit of red colored his cheeks. He mumbled, "I-I'm sorry," softly.

But Roxas was not one to be forgiving at the moment. "How could you fall on me like that?" he demanded. "And now they've got the wrong idea entirely! Rinoa would keep quiet, but that stupid Zell will blab it to everyone!"

"But, Roxas, we'll just explain to them that nothing happened—I just tripped and fell on you is all."

Roxas was still infuriated, and he threw his hands up into the air. "As if they'll believe that!" Roxas gripped his head and began mumbling to himself again. "Oh no oh no oh no oh on oh _**NO**_," he groaned. "What will ever happen now? Now everyone will think I've hooked up with that stupid Volcanohead! What to do what to do what to do…"

"Erm, Roxas, I'm still here," Axel pointed out yet again.

Roxas groaned even louder, turning back to face Axel. "Oh, damn, you've screwed up everything, Volcanohead. Now get out."

"What?" Axel looked hurt. "But, Roxas, I thought we could try and sort this out—"

"Not a chance!" Roxas shouted. "Now get out!"

Axel looked at Roxas, hopeless, and trudged to the door and shut it softly behind him. When he was gone, Roxas gripped his head and fell back onto his bed. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

* * *

Zexion was pissed.

Well, to say…he could not find _David Copperfield_. And he _really_ needed to read what happened next. You see, Zexion never would misplace one of his books because he cherished them so much, so where on earth was his book? He was being driven positively mad from it.

"Oh, where can it be?" Zexion exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air, searching all around his bed. He checked under it. Nope, not there. It was not with the stack of the rest of his books, or anywhere in this room for that matter. He looked under the other beds, in case he had accidentally put it there. But it was nowhere to be found.

Now, to be quite sure, Zexion was getting more distraught and angrier by the second. Whatever was he supposed to do? All the other books he owned he had already read several times—_David Copperfield_ was a new one he had gotten…so he really wanted to read it. _Oh, where could it be?_ Zexion shouted in thought.

He then blinked several times and stood still as he remembered something. He had left his book on the couch yesterday when he and Demyx had nearly had a fight. Zexion grinned widely. How could he have forgotten? He ran down the stairs and went to the couch. But _David Copperfield_ once again was not there. Zexion's shoulders slumped.

He turned around and there he saw Demyx in a chair, halfway through a book. Now to be sure, this surprised Zexion immensely. For one, Demyx did not really like books. Two, Demyx lost interest in something after a few minutes usually. So how could he be halfway through a book? And then Zexion noticed exactly _what_ book Demyx was reading. His eyes widened in surprise.

He walked over to Demyx and cleared his throat. Demyx looked up. He grinned and waved at Zexion. "Hey, Zexy, whatcha doin'?"

"I have been looking for _David Copperfield_ for quite some time now," answered Zexion.

Demyx's grin did not falter. It only seemed to widen even further. "Oh! Well, I know where it is," he said.

"I can see that," stated Zexion dryly.

Demyx closed the book and handed it to Zexion. "Zexion, it's a _really_ good book. I mean…I've never really even cared for books much before, but I really like this one. I think I like this Charles Dickens guy—and I'm really caught up in it, too. So when you're done, can I have it to read?" Demyx asked, smiling brightly.

Zexion stared down at Demyx. He did not take back his book. To be sure, he was quite shocked. Demyx…actually enjoying reading? And not just any book, by any means, a book that came out in the 19th century! Quite shocking to be sure. Truthfully, Zexion wanted to read _David Copperfield_. He _really_ wanted to read _David Copperfield_. But he felt…

"You can go ahead and read it first, Demyx," said Zexion, smiling slightly.

Demyx's smile brightened and he stood up quickly and threw his arms around Zexion and pulled him close. "Aw, thank you, Zexy!"

Zexion's cheeks were colored, and he coughed nervously. "Y-you're…you're welcome."

* * *

Sora and Riku had now finished eating; they were simply talking before they would head back home. And Riku was really…happy. Riku could not remember being this genuinely happy in his life before. Everything made him happy when he was around Sora. If he were with Sora, he could even stand Reno, his mother, Seph, Yuffie, Marluxia, and even Xemnas, if they were around him at the same time. He would just pay attention to Sora the entire time. The last time he could remember being this happy…was when he was very young, and still a little child.

Out of the corner of his eye, though, Riku noticed something. Someone was staring at their table. Suddenly, Riku's cocky side took over, and he thought the person was simply staring at their table because he was so darn good-looking. Riku grinned, as he looked around further. He then realized that several other people were looking at their table; many of them turned their gazes when Riku spotted them. But some continued to stare. **(2)**

Riku stopped and thought for a moment. His cocky side had been pushed to the back of his mind. Not that many people would be staring at him—so what was it? Did he have food on his shirt or face or something? And then Riku turned his head to look at Sora again; he looked so innocent and sweet sitting there, fidgeting his fingers.

_They're staring at Sora,_ thoughtRiku, suddenly coming to the realization. He looked down at his lap, where his own hands lay. His silver hair hung down in his face, and he lifted his aquamarine eyes slightly to look up at Sora again. He cast his eyes back down. _Why are they staring? He's just the same as anybody else!_

"Riku?" said Sora softly, concern evident in his sapphire eyes.

Riku shook his head, his silver hair flying back and forth. He looked back up at Sora. "I'm sorry, Sora, my mind wandered for a bit."

"Well, do you…want to head back now?" Sora asked.

Riku smiled. "That would be a good idea. I need to get back to helping anyway, Sora."

Riku stood up and pulled Sora's wheelchair back, and was prepared to push him to the door, when he realized many people were staring at them again. Riku's Anger Meter™ was high, and it was not humorous whatsoever this time. Riku was _really_ mad. Not pissed off, not fuming, he was **angry**._ Real_ anger.

He banged his fists on the table angrily. Now everyone was looking at him. _Everyone_. "What are you staring at?" he shouted, his blood boiling. "He's just the same as any one of you! You're not fucking higher than him—so stop fucking staring at him!" Riku breathed in deeply. He then pushed Sora towards the doors and was out in a flash.

When they were outside again, Riku's lips were pursed as he continued to walk back to the orphanage. Riku did not _dare_ open his mouth. He was worried—worried he had made himself look like a fool in front of Sora. What if he had embarrassed him further? But Riku was not sorry about what he did. He would never regret it. Those people deserved to be yelled at, and if he were banned from Chili's for the rest of his life…well, Riku honestly did not care.

They were nearly back at the orphanage now, and neither Riku nor Sora spoke to one another. Riku was getting increasingly worried by the second. Why was Sora not talking? Why was Riku _himself_ not talking? He should try and break it. But Riku honestly did not know what the hell he should say.

"Thank…you…" Sora said softly and slowly.

Riku's head jerked to look down at Sora. He wanted to say, "W-what?" but instead he said, "You're…you're welcome."

* * *

It was now time for dinner, and Riku found himself quite giddy over the prospect of spending even more time with Sora. _I have seriously flipped my lid,_ Riku thought. _Giddy? GIDDY? Since when have I been giddy?_ he shouted in thought. Riku groaned as he sat down on a chair. Any minute now, Aerith would come out with two trays of food, one for Sora and one for himself.

_And right about now, I would expect the voice to come and sneer at me or crack jokes at my expense,_ thought Riku. _But for some odd reason, the voice is gone, and I have no idea why. Usually the voice would drop in on me at least every few days… Maybe it will come back later._

But Riku had the strangest feeling that it would not.

And then Aerith came out. Riku stood up and smiled at her, taking the trays from her hands. "Thank you," he said before he headed toward the stairs.

"You're welcome," she called out to him as he went up the stairs.

Riku was down the hallway and in the teens' room in but a couple of minutes. He opened the door and walked in to see Sora there. Sora smiled brightly again. Riku grinned in response. Every time he saw Sora's smile, it filled his heart with joy. It always made him want to smile or grin as well—it just made him that happy.

"Hey there, Sora, long time no see," Riku greeted as he walked over to the brunet, and sat on his bed across from Sora.

Sora's smile was still there, but it was smaller. He looked at Riku, staring into his aquamarine eyes for but a few seconds. He then tore his gaze away. He laughed slightly at Riku's greeting. "Yeah, same here."

Riku's grin was still intact as he handed Sora his tray; the brunet took it gratefully.

"Thank you," said Sora, looking down at his food—soup and sandwiches.

"You're welcome, Sora," said Riku, picking up his spoon and beginning to eat his soup.

Sora did the same, and Riku realized the brunet had the most adorable expression on his face when he ate soup. Riku was unable to eat his soup, for he just continued to stare and stare at the brunet, for it was impossible not to do so. The boy was purely adorable. Though, obviously, Sora did not realize this. But he _did_ realize Riku was staring at him.

"What is it?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side. Which, ultimately, ended up making him look even **more** adorable.

"N-nothing," Riku stammered as he returned to eating his soup. He had to eat, damn it!

"I don't believe you," Sora stated.

Riku nearly gawked at the brunet. Was he _serious_? How could he say such a thing! Usually Sora was not so bold. What was Riku to do? He never _could_ pull off lies well. He just did not have the gift. Unlike his mother—she could lie her ass off, and no one would suspect a thing. Oh, she was evil. **Pure** evil.

Riku cleared his throat. He decided he might as well just tell Sora. What harm could it honestly do? Well, a ton, to be quite blunt, but Riku was trying to reassure himself that this was not true. "You'reveryadorablewhenyoueatsoup," Riku said quickly. (You're very adorable when you eat soup.)

Sora stared at Riku. He blinked. He then blinked again. Riku laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. Oh, brother…whatever was he supposed to do? _I could learn to shut my mouth for once,_ Riku thought bitterly.

Sora was still staring at Riku, and Riku was worried the world was going to come to an end. Truthfully, the world would _not_ come to an end if Sora said he hated Riku or thought he was weird or a freak or something, but Riku felt like it would. That _his_ world would end. And for some reason…that thought terrified him. Riku dared not even breathe as Sora's sapphire eyes continued to bore into his own aquamarine ones.

"What are you saying?" Sora finally said, breaking the intensely awkward silence. You think _you_ know what awkward silence is? Well, you have seen nothing yet, for it is surely a hundred times better than this…awkwardness that encircled them. Riku felt like he would suffocate from it.

"I said that you're adorable when you eat—" Riku began, but was cut off.

"Y-yes, I heard that," said Sora, his cheeks crimson. "D-do you mean it?"

"Of course I do," said Riku, cursing himself in his head for being so damn stupid. Oh, even without the voice, his life was screwed! Whatever was to become of him?

"It's not true—" said Sora, "—but thank you, anyway."

Riku smiled in relief.

* * *

It was now nearly time to leave Destiny Orphanage, and Axel was quite tired, to be honest. He kept yawning throughout the night, and several people took notice. Roxas did, but he did not say anything. After all, he was ignoring the idiotic being that was known as Axel. Zell, of course, had blabbed to everyone that Axel and Roxas had been making out (though truthfully, he had only seen them on top of one another), and everyone believed him.

Axel was so tired, for he had to keep denying to everyone that it was not true. But of course, everyone just grinned and ignored him. After all, Axel was just so shy about it that he _had_ to deny it. But there was no denying it—Axel and Roxas had hooked up.

"Roxas and Axel are in looo-oove!" Seifer sang out, staggering.

Roxas groaned. "Someone tell him to _please_ stop drinking!" he shouted.

Despite himself, Axel's cheeks flushed slightly at this. Geez—did Seifer have to sing out that loudly? The blond could honestly not hold his liquor well. Axel shook his head back and forth. He glanced up at the clock. It was time for him to head home. He had to catch his bus, after all.

Axel sighed as he glanced over at Roxas. Why did he have to be such a klutz and fall on Roxas? This whole mess would not have happened if Axel were not such a klutz. He cursed himself over this. Knowing it was futile, Axel walked over to Roxas to say goodbye for the night. He cleared his throat when he reached the blond, and said, "Roxas, I'm sorry about what happen—"

Roxas held up a hand. And the hand said, "Well, you might as well just shut up there—for he will not pay attention to you."

Axel shook his head, staring at Roxas' hand. Had it just talked…or was he imagining things? Axel honestly was not entirely sure… "Roxas, please hear me out. I'm sorry—and I hope you accept my apology. Goodnight, Roxas." And then Axel turned and walked to the door. With a sigh, he left. Roxas did not speak to him or look at him.

But as soon as Axel was out the door, Roxas' eyes snapped up to look at where the redhead had just been but seconds ago. His gaze lingered there for a long time.

* * *

Luckily for Axel, he had made it on time for his bus, and was currently sitting in the back of it, sighing. He glanced out the window—it was completely dark out now. Axel hated when the daylight got shorter. He liked the sun. And generally, Axel preferred bright or sunny things to dark things—such as night. So, honestly…Axel was not the biggest fan of the dark.

It wasn't like he was scared of it, or anything like that. No, Axel was not afraid of the dark—he just…preferred the light compared to it. Immensely.

Obviously, Axel's thoughts were consumed by Roxas, and the whole mess he had gotten the two of them into. He wished he could make it up to the blond—but that seemed impossible…at least for now, anyway. Axel sighed, leaning his head back, gazing at the ceiling of the bus. He should be back home in a few minutes. Honestly, all Axel could think of now was sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. Whenever he was asleep, he did not think about everything so much—and how he tended to screw up. A lot.

The bus stopped and Axel stood up. He walked out of the bus, yawning. His house was only a few minutes from here. Axel crossed his arms behind his head, thinking yet again. "Oh, what the hell will I do tomorrow?" Axel thought aloud. "On the one hand, Roxas always hated me. Or he at least acts that way. On the _other_ hand, Roxas and I were…perhaps? Yes, perhaps we were getting a bit closer. Well, he at least didn't act like I was the scum of the earth."

Axel looked around. It really _was_ dark out tonight. The dark clouds were covering the stars and moon almost completely—only streetlights lit up the darkness. Axel was beginning to wish he had a flashlight. "Geez, it's dark out here," Axel mumbled to himself. "And cold, too," he added, crossing his arms. "Gah! What am I going to do?" Axel suddenly groaned, ceasing walking. He was right in front of his house, too.

He gripped his head, groaning. "Oh, every fucking thing is so screwed up, I tell you!" he shouted. "No one will believe me that Roxas and I aren't together! They're evil, I tell you, all evil!"

"Who's evil?" asked a slurred voice.

Axel's emerald eyes widened immensely. He recognized that voice…

"I asked you a question!" yelled the person, swinging something up in the air. He now stepped into the light. "Axel? Zat you?"

Axel looked at the person in terror. It could not be… There was no way that _this_ person could be here! They weren't…supposed to… Axel felt his heart begin to beat out of his chest. He could not move. He was frozen. "How…how are you—"

* * *

**1 – **Beethoven was a composer of the nineteenth century, and is widely known for being an important figure in the transition between the classical period and the romantic period. He is my favorite classical composer of all time. The other composers mentioned were: Mozart (an eighteenth century composer of the classical period), Chopin (a nineteenth century composer of the romantic period), Brahms (a nineteenth century composer of the romantic period), and Schumann (a nineteenth century composer of the romantic period). I have such a wide knowledge of the various composers because my dad is a pianist…and I was practically raised on classical music. XD

**2 – **When my family went to Disneyland in 2005, I got faint from the heat so my dad pushed me around in a wheelchair for a bit, because I was seriously sick (I couldn't even walk, really). And I noticed…that many people were staring at me. I have noticed that people stare at people in wheelchairs frequently, and honestly…it makes me sick. Not everyone stares, of course, but I do tend to notice it happens quite a bit—when it shouldn't happen at all, so it is very sad.

**Next chapter:** Sorry, guys, but I will not be giving a teaser this time because it would give too much away and ruin it for you. I hope you understand.

Sorry 'bout cutting it off there—I even cut off Axel mid-sentance!—but it must be done. All right, guys, love all the reviews you all have been givin' me. Much thanks to you all. But I'm not sure if I'll post the next chapter unless I hit **170** reviews, so make it happen, people! (Of course I'll still post, though, lol. Just sayin' that for fun!) I'll love you forever if you do! Come on…try it for me here. Anyone who reviews gets an Axel plushie (or whatever plushie you want. XD Leah…I know you want a Zexion plushie, don't you? XD). So remember,** review!** Until next time. :)


	9. Never Again, Never Again

Bwahaha! No Country for Old Men won best picture last week! I seriously jumped up and down when it happened. :) I really enjoyed the Oscars this year…a lot of the people I wanted to win won, so I was happy. :D Oh, and sorry that this took three weeks instead of two, and that was because **I posted a new story!** It's a Zemyx fic, and I would love if you all could check it out, and tell me what you think. :)

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't _want _to help them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** Ah, get over it…I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews:** ZOMIGOSH! I hit 170 and beyond! –Glomps everyone that reviewed and gives cookies and Axel plushies- Haha. All the comments were so nice, and you all have no idea how happy you all make me. Seriously, whenever I see I got another review, I read it right away—and then read it over again several times. LOL. But what made me happiest is that several people that just added this to their alerts/faves without reviewing before, reviewed for the first time! Yay! Let's keep at it, people, and aim for 200 this time! Hey, if we could hit 170, we can hit 200, too. :D

**A/N: **Okay, okay, the cliffie is finally resolved! Read on to find out what happens!

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter. 9 Never Again...Never Again

-o-

"_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._" - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

He gripped his head, groaning. "Oh, every fucking thing is so screwed up, I tell you!" he shouted. "No one will believe me that Roxas and I aren't together! They're evil, I tell you, all evil!"

"Who's evil?" asked a slurred voice.

Axel's emerald eyes widened immensely. He recognized that voice…

"I asked you a question!" yelled the person, swinging something up in the air. He now stepped into the light. "Axel? Zat you?"

Axel looked at the person in terror. It could not be… There was no way that _this_ person could be here! They weren't…supposed to… Axel felt his heart begin to beat out of his chest. He could not move. He was frozen. "How…how are you here—Father?" Axel swallowed the lump in his throat as he said the last word. It left a horrible bitter taste in his mouth.

"Ella dumped me," the man said in a slurred and gruff voice. The stench of alcohol and smoke overwhelmed Axel. He coughed.

"Who?" Axel asked, coughing again.

"My girlfriend," he explained. "She kicked me out of her apartment. Where am I s'posed to go?"

"I-I don't know, Father, maybe a hotel?" said Axel, hopeful.

"I don't got no money!" the man yelled, frustrated, lifting the bottle above his head.

Axel winced at the sight. "W-well, I don't know what you're supposed to do, then. Maybe go to the YMCA or something?"

"Are you fuckin' out of your mind?" the man yelled after he took another swig of his drink. "Why the hell would I go there?"

"I-I don't know," said Axel, his panic rising every second. He had to get away. He had to do something. Here he was, right in front of his house, his mother right inside, and yet she did not know what was happening. She had probably fallen asleep. His mother was an angel—she could do no wrong. That was why she had divorced the scumbag in the first place.

"You were always an idiot!" his father suddenly accused. "You never did well in school, and when you were younger, you never even wanted to play sports. You're a fuckin' wimp. All the boys at school picked on you." And now the man sneered. "But the worst of all is that you're a fuckin' pansy. No _wonder_ you always got picked on."

Axel could not move. He was moving closer. His father was a mere few inches away now, and yet Axel was set in stone. He was terrified, terrified out of his mind—but he could not move. He was _too_ terrified to move even. He began to shake slightly.

"You good for nothin' son of mine!" yelled his father as he slapped Axel. "Everything's your fault! You're the reason your mom dumped me!" He punched Axel. Axel doubled over in pain. "You're a disgrace!"

And all Axel could feel now were the hits and blows his father landed on him—and how his sharp, gruff voice cut him like a knife with his insults. He never thought…he would see him again. Axel closed his eyes, wishing he would just black out already—or that something would happen, someone would intervene—but it seemed like no one was here, or no one cared enough to come out of their homes and stop him. Many minutes passed by.

"Stop it!" someone suddenly yelled.

The hitting stopped for a minute. Axel…recognized that voice. Who was it? He could not think. His brain was fuzzy. It was too much…too much. He did not know what to do.

"Ah, there you are. Lyla. **(1) **Perfect. Little. Lyla. Do you really think you're too good for me?" the man yelled, turning away from Axel to face the woman.

"I have already called the police, so don't even try anything. They'll be here any minute now!" she informed. "And stop hitting my Axel!" she yelled out as she ran over to Axel.

* * *

"Mom?" said Axel, confused. He attempted to open his eyes, but they simply could not open. They hurt too much. He winced in pain.

"Shh. It's all right now," said his mother soothingly. "He's gone now. I had no idea he would come here. I'm so, so sorry Axel. After we got the restraining order…I thought he would listen. And he had—for several years, anyway. I am so sorry," she said as she hugged Axel close to herself. "I never wanted to see you get so hurt like this—never again."

"M-mom…" Axel barely managed to get out. "Where am I?"

"We're at the hospital, Axel," she barely managed to get out. "He hurt you…he hurt you so badly, and you kept crying out about your arm. I am so, so sorry." And then Lyla broke down crying.

Axel couldn't even open his eyes to look at her, nor could he move to comfort and hug her close. It hurt too much. He could not move. "Mom…don't cry, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's my fault, really. Not yours. Please don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything."

"But if I had never married him—" she objected.

"You wouldn't have me," said Axel, laughing.

His mother ran a hand through his soft, spiky hair. "I am so sorry, Axel. I love you so much. I never wanted to see you in pain again. Not like that time. No, never like that time again."

Axel could not help…but recount the time she was talking about.

It was the time…he had nearly died.

* * *

"Oh, what a beautiful morning!" Riku exclaimed, jumping up and down as he came down the stairs. "I could not imagine a better day! It is simply wonderful! Praise the heavens! Truly today is a day not to be—" Riku was cut off from his over-joyous outburst, for it certainly did seem that way—perhaps the boy was drunk. Drunk on life… Or Sora. Either one was fine. Riku's smile fell as he saw the sad look Cloud had on his face. He stopped, his arms raised in the air, and they slowly fell done to his sides. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried to death.

They were all staring at him—not just Cloud. Leon was there, and Yuffie, Tifa, Aerith, Reno, and Kadaj…they were all there, and looked so _serious._

"Riku," said Leon, finally speaking up, "your mother called here… She says that your friend, Axel, is in the hospital."

"What happened?" Riku asked immediately.

"She did not say much—she sounded very frantic. She just said something about, 'him'. Do you know what she meant, Riku?"

Riku's eyes widened immediately. He knew who he was…he knew it all too well. He and Axel had been best friends since they were little, so it all clicked in his head, just the word _him _was enough to understand the meaning. He clenched his fists just thinking about it. "Can someone please drive me to the hospital?" Riku asked. "I'd just run there, but I know it'll be quicker this way. So please…please someone take me there."

"We'll drive you," said Cloud, meaning he and Leon. "Yuffie, take care of things while we're gone, okay?"

"Sure," said Yuffie, nodding her head slightly.

And so the three left, going out into the bitter cold, getting into Cloud's car, and they drove away.

But as they left, there was a certain boy left in the orphanage, upstairs, who was smiling, thinking of how soon Riku would be up here again, and they would eat breakfast together. "Riku…" Sora whispered softly.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever. Riku was in a panic. His mother had not said how bad Axel's condition was? Why hadn't she said it? Riku was so worried—she could have at least said it. But then Riku felt ashamed—he should not blame Kazumi. She was worried just as much as she was, Axel felt as close to her as a son did.

Riku just hoped…it wasn't as bad as _that_ time.

* * *

They had finally managed to get to the hospital, and Riku was about to flip out. It had taken so long. What was wrong with Axel? How bad was it? He couldn't even think coherently. It were as if his thoughts were a blank, and he could not comprehend anything new. It was horrible. He felt nauseous. His head felt light and airy—and his feet seemed to way a ton.

When they actually arrived at the hospital, Riku found it impossible to walk down…the hall. He could not do it—he felt as if he were walking to his death. What was wrong? Was Axel really _hurt_? His heart was beating out of his chest. Once he managed to actually move down the hall, he felt as if it stretched on forever, and he would never reach the end of it, where Axel's room was. When it felt as if he were getting closer, it only seemed to expand. Riku felt as if he were going mad.

It was _deafening_.

This feeling…this horrid feeling of dread. His eyes stung. And then…and then…

He actually reached the door.

But this was even worse. He could not enter.

His fingers tingled as they brushed over the doorknob, but he could not find the courage to actually _open_ it. What if something had gone wrong? What if Axel was _really_ hurt? He could not think straight; he felt somewhat lightheaded. Leon and Cloud waited patiently behind him. Finally, Riku managed to close his hand around the doorknob, and slowly twisted it open.

And then he entered.

* * *

"I wonder how...Riku's holding up," Yuffie said to Tifa, as the two set the dishes on the dining table.

"I don't know really, Yuffie. How would you feel if your best friend were in the hospital—and you didn't even know how badly they were hurt? And did you see the look of _terror_ on his face? It made me feel chilled," Tifa answered.

"He really did look terrified…didn't he? So…has this happened before?" Yuffie asked.

"That's what Riku's mother seemed to imply. After all, all she said was that it was _him_. Riku knew who it was, so it had to have happened before."

"You don't think Riku's father ever abused him, do you?"

Tifa looked thoughtfully for a minute. "No, I don't think so. I saw a picture…that had slipped out of Riku's wallet onto his bed. It was his father, I'm sure. He had…Riku's eyes. I don't think he would be carrying around a picture of him if he had abused him."

"I guess you're right," said Yuffie. "But I'm just really…worried about him."

"Me, too."

* * *

Riku took in a deep breath as he entered. His eyes were closed, he dared not look for a moment—and then he opened his eyes. And there was Axel, beaten and bruised, and the pure look of complete and utter pain on his face. Riku…did not know what to do. Sonja, Sephiroth, and Axel's mother, Lyla, were all in the room. But Riku did not pay any attention to them whatsoever. He had eyes for only one person right now—and that was his best friend, Axel.

"Axel…" Riku's voice came out choked, broken. He could not even speak coherently. Moisture gathered at his aquamarine eyes; he wanted to avert his gaze from Axel, but he could not—he could not look away.

"Oh, hey there…Ri," said Axel, smiling slightly.

For once, Riku was not going to get mad at him, or correct him on calling him that. He did not even pay attention to it. All he could think about…was that even through all this pain, Axel still managed to smile. How could he still smile? What was wrong with him? If Lyla had not intervened, Axel very well could have been killed by his father. How could he…smile like that, as if nothing were wrong?

"How can you…smile like that?" Riku asked lowly, his voice still coming out somewhat choked.

"What?"

"How can you still smile like that!" Riku now found himself shouting, angry, though not angry with Axel. "How are you smiling as if nothing is wrong? How can you…how can you do that? Axel, you could have been killed! Your father is insane! How can you…" Riku bent down at Axel's bed, on his knees, his head hanging down, limp, "…how can you…be this wonderful and yet treated so badly?" The tears emerged, and for some reason, Riku could not stop. He wanted to—but he could not. "It's not…it's not fair."

"There, there, Riku," said Axel, reaching a hand to pat his head, running his hand down the length of Riku's hair. "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. And you know this shouldn't have happened, Riku, but a lot of things happen that shouldn't. A lot worse has happened to people than this—so think about them, not me."

"You're too…you're too good, Axel."

* * *

Sora…was slightly confused. Usuallly around this time, Riku would have come in, and they would have eaten breakfast together. He did not…quite understand. Where was Riku? He had grown accustomed to seeing him every day. He was...a little worried, to be honest. Where was he? Had something happened? Why…wasn't he _here_?

"Where are you Riku?" Sora said to himself, feeling slightly nervous and anxious.

And then the door cracked open. Sora's head immediately whipped around to see who it was, entirely believing it was Riku—so he smiled brightly. But his smile fell when he saw that it was not Riku, that it instead was Aerith. But then he smiled again slightly. Yes, he had hoped it was Riku, but Aerith was always nice and kind to him. So he smiled for her, too. But he also found this as a good opportunity to ask about Riku's whereabouts.

"Where's…Riku?" Sora asked, his voice barely over a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Sora, he's not here," Aerith explained. "He had to go to the hospital."

Sora's eyes widened at that. "The hospital?" He was suddenly frightened. Something _had_ happened to Riku. He was correct.

Aerith realized what Sora thought; she immediately spoke again. "No, Sora, Riku isn't hurt himself. It's his friend…his friend is in the hospital, and Riku went to visit him."

Sora looked relieved to find out it wasn't Riku—but it still wasn't a good thing that anyone was in the hospital. "Is his friend all right?" Sora asked quietly, his eyes staring down at his bed.

"I hope so, I really hope so, Sora" Aerith answered. "But here…here's your breakfast." She handed him a tray, smiling sweetly. "If you want…I could sit here with you, like Riku does, if you like."

"No, that's all right," Sora uttered quietly.

"All right, then, I'll come see you again in a little bit, all right? And I'll let you know if we hear anything from Riku."

Aerith stood up and walked to the door, frowning slightly, though. She could tell Sora felt...a little off since Riku was not here with him. She just hoped he would be all right. And before she was out the door, she said, "Don't worry, Sora, I'm sure Riku will be back soon."

And then she was gone.

Sora stared down at the tray of food. He did not really feel like eating. He missed Riku immensely…and wished he were here, here like he always was. He was used to seeing Riku every day now, and the two would always spend time with one another; at least three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It had been like this for the past few days, and honestly, it was not very long—but it felt like he could not remember the many years he had been in this orphanage without him, alone—no person he ever could feel close to. But Riku had changed that. He really, really had. He did not know what he would do without him. He felt like when he was around Riku, he did not feel alone, that he did not feel empty, he actually...he actually...felt whole. He missed him too much, and found his appetite was gone.

And then he broke down crying, his head in his hands, growing damp from his tears.

* * *

Riku stared down at Axel, disbelieving that this…had actually happened to his friend. "How…how bad is it?" he asked Axel very quietly.

"Not that bad, really. I was bleeding, and I have a lot of bruises, a black eye and the like—they've kept me here so darn long because they thought my arm was broken—but it's not, they said, just bruised so badly that you could think it. They're going to let me out, soon—just need to get enough rest."

"He could have _killed_ you," Riku choked out.

"It wasn't like that time, Riku."

"Yes it was!" Riku shouted, still angry. He was not mad at Axel, but it just came out that way. He was so angry, so angry at Axel's father and life in general, he did not really know where to direct his anger. "Look at you! Just look in the mirror!"

"No, it wasn't, Riku. That time he had a gun. And I lost some of the hearing in my left ear. You know it wasn't the same, Riku."

"It was nearly as bad!" Riku shouted. He then bent down on his knees again, and clasped Axel's hands. "Axel, I promise you, that I will make sure nothing like this will happen again. Never again…never again."

Axel held onto Riku's hands for a moment, and said, "Don't worry, Riku, it won't happen again. Why don't you…and Kazumi and Sephiroth go down and get some coffee and breakfast? None of you have had any, have you?"

Riku shook his head. "But…Axel, I don't want to leave you."

Axel laughed. "I'll be fine…don't worry about it." Axel then flashed Riku a grin; Riku sighed. Axel was too good for his own good.

"If that's what you want," said Riku, standing up. Axel simply nodded his head; Riku headed to the door. "I'll be back…soon."

Axel nodded once more, and then Riku, Kazumi, and Sephiroth all exited. "Will he really…be okay, Mom?" Riku asked Kazumi as they walked down the morbid hall. Riku had never cared for hospitals. They made him feel…oddly different, and not different in a good way. It had this morbid feeling about it…

It felt like death.

Kazumi stopped walking for a moment, her hands in her pockets, thoughtful. "Axel's a tough kid, Riku, you know that. I'm sure…everything will be all right."

"But what about his father?" Riku found that his voice was raised yet again that day—it seemed like he was unable to refrain from doing so. "Even with the restraining order, he came this time! What if he does it again? What if…"—Riku found he could barely say the next few words—"…he kills Axel?" The thought seemed absolutely unbearable.

"I'm sure it won't happen, Axel. First and foremost, he has to go to prison, because not only did he break the restraining order, but before he came to Lyla's house, he broke into a liquor store and stole a lot of alcohol and money. So because of that, he won't be around for quite some time."

"But what if he breaks out?" Riku asked, disbelieving. "Many people have broken out of prison! What if he does?"

"We'll just have to hope and pray…that he doesn't."

"Mom, Mom…he's my best friend—he feels like another brother to me—I don't know what I'd do…if something happened to him…"

"I know, Ri, I know," said Kazumi softly, pulling him into a hug. "Let's just try and be cheerful for Axel's sake, though? He's trying to be happy—and I think he actually genuinely is, that's just the kind of person Axel is. So he wants us to be happy as well—a smile would make Axel feel better, rather than a frown." At this, Kazumi smiled softly, pulling away from Riku slightly.

Riku attempted to smile, and his lips twitched upwards softly. _Haha_, he thought. _What irony. Now __**I'm**__ the one that can't smile._ "Well...I'll try."

"Come along," said Kazumi, taking Riku's hand, "let's go get something to eat, as Axel said—I'm sure you'll feel better."

"But hospital food sucks."

"I know, I know," said Kazumi, with the slightest hint of a laugh.

* * *

Roxas laughed as he walked down the stairs. He had not…spotted Volcanohead. He would have figured that he would have come up to visit him by now, it was nearly time for breakfast now, so it only made sense, anyway. But for some reason, he had not come. Roxas was mildly surprised. Maybe the devil-kids from Hell had prevented him from doing so? So as soon as Roxas got downstairs, he looked around for Axel, whom was nowhere to be found. He spotted Rinoa. He walked up to her.

"Hey, Rinoa…where's Volcanohead?" he asked.

Rinoa did not answer him, instead she turned around to face him—she was on the phone. Suddenly, she gasped, her brown eyes widening, as she placed a pale hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" Roxas asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

After a moment, Rinoa hung up the phone, saying, "Goodbye, thank you; I will be praying for you." She then spoke to Roxas, "Roxas, I just got a call from Axel's mother. Apparently…he is in the hospital."

"The…hospital?" Roxas repeated, slowly and barely even audible. He could not really think. Already, Axel had taken the dive for him down the stairs, and had gotten hurt, but he was in the hospital…? He had never imagined it was possible. It was all too…weird. He was so used to seeing him here for the past few days—an annoying little companion that wouldn't leave him alone. Why was he in the hospital? "What's wrong with him?"

"He was beaten by his father severely," Rinoa answered, her voice distant.

"Wh-which—which hospital is he in?" Roxas asked, his gaze downcast.

"St. Vincent."

Roxas then went up the stairs, grabbed his jacket, and went back down the stairs. He left quickly, and no one had even noticed he had left, except for Rinoa. She knew it must be hard on him.

Roxas felt the bitter cold as soon as he was outside, and he shivered slightly. He looked from his right to his left. What direction was that hospital again? He thought it was quite far from here, by walk, anyway. About forty minutes, or so. But if he ran, perhaps he could get there sooner? He stared to his right. If he remembered correctly, it was in that direction. Yes, he was almost sure of it. So Roxas took off running in that direction.

"Volcanohead, you big dummy," said Roxas as he continued to run. "Why…why did you have to end up in the hospital?"

And then Roxas remembered what Rinoa had said. _His father… _His father had done this. That was why Axel had ended up in the hospital. Roxas…had never met his father nor had he met his mother. Would they have been good people, or would they have beaten him, like Axel's father? The thought terrified him. He had thought about his parents many times, but he had never considered that factor.

He continued to run; he had run about half the way there now. "I wonder…if it's really bad," Roxas thought aloud. "Volcanohead, you better be all right, or else I'll kill you."

Perhaps…Roxas was missing the point.

Roxas huffed as he continued to run, but he was getting very tired. He stopped for a moment, the stitch in his side getting worse by the second. As he had instructed Axel, he crossed his arms behind his head and walked slowly, taking deep breaths. "Damn, I didn't really drink any water today," said Roxas, remembering _why_ you would get a stitch in your side in the first place: not enough water.

"Water's stupid, anyway," Roxas grumbled, as he continued to walk. An image flashed before his eyes. It was…Axel, grinning widely, looking like he always did, goofy and happy. "Y-you…you better be all right."

Roxas took off running again, with a new burst of energy. He reached the hospital in a matter of minutes.

"I really…need water…" Roxas panted as he entered. He spotted a vending machine, and pulled out some loose change from his pockets and got a bottle of water. He drank nearly the whole thing in one gulp. "All right, all right. Now let's see…I suppose I have to go to that desk over there."

Roxas had only been to a hospital once before, and that was the time he had broken his knee. And that was when…he was seven. So, yeah, it had been awhile. Roxas sniffed; he always hated the smell of hospitals. They smelled so…_weird_. That was basically the only word he could describe it with…this smell.

Roxas looked around, and he walked up to a desk where a nurse was. He stared at her for a moment; she just continued to type on the computer. Finally, Roxas cleared his throat, hoping to get her attention. Inevitably, it did not work. He cleared his throat louder; he was still ignored. He rolled his eyes. As he did so, he noticed a bell to his right. He rang it, but the nurse did not turn to him, she simply said, "Just a moment, sir."

Roxas huffed. He didn't _have_ a moment. He needed to know what was wrong with Volcanohead, and that was that. So, he waited a minute, and yet she was still typing on the computer. Roxas sighed. He said, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"What is it, sir?" she said, exasperated, finally turning around to face Roxas.

"I'm here to see a patient, and I don't know what room he's in."

"What is his name?"

"Volca—" Roxas coughed, and then said, "Axel. Axel…"

"His name is Axel Axel?" asked the nurse as she crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, his name is Axel."

"Don't you know his last name?" asked the nurse.

"Yes, I do, but I can't think of it right now. I have an intense migraine," Roxas lied smoothly.

"Intense migraine, sir? You seem to look just fine to me."

"Well, it appears that way, yes, but that is not the case. Now can you _please_ help me?"

The nurse sighed. She turned back to the computer. For a moment, Roxas thought she was ignoring him, but after a moment, she said, "Axel Higarashi is the only person by that name admitted in this hospital. He is in room 307."

Roxas smiled. "Thanks a million, ma'am!" was all he said before he dashed off to the elevator.

"Oh, kids these days," muttered the nurse, shaking her head. But despite what she said, she was smiling slightly.

Roxas hopped out of the elevator as soon as it stopped. He looked around as he walked down the hall. "All right, all right, 301, 303, 305…ah! There it is—307!" But just as Roxas was about to open the door, it opened and slammed against him, mashing him against the wall. Roxas stared at the people that had just left—though he could not move at all. They all had silver hair! Who were these people? Roxas wished they would burn in Hell… They had nearly broken his nose! They should learn not to throw open doors like that. Seriously, they could hurt someone. Actually…they already had.

Roxas grumbled curses on whoever those three people were—surely evil relatives or friends of Volcanohead? He was going to be sure to ask him who the hell they were. When Roxas was finally recovered enough to move (which was about ten minutes later, to be honest), he slowly broke free from the wall, and stared at the door. He rocked back and forth on his heels, clasping his hands behind his back. It had taken him so long to get here, but now that he was here…he was a little scared of entering. It was an odd feeling, and he couldn't quite figure it out. _Is this what you call fear...?_ he thought.

He stared at the door, determined. But several minutes passed by, and yet he had still not entered. He continued to stare at it as if he could burn a hole through it, but it did not work. Darn, his heat vision was blitzing out again. And it was working so well, too. Roxas shook his head, clearing his head of his silly thoughts. He finally grasped his hand around the doorknob, and opened it and entered—he took in a deep breath as he did so.

As soon as he entered, he saw Axel there, on the hospital bed, beaten and bruised, with a bandage on his head—but it did not look quite right, what with his flaming red hair and all. It didn't…exactly fit. For some reason, when Roxas saw Axel sitting there, it stirred something within him. What…was this exact feeling? It was strange, and he was not exactly sure of what it was. Another thing that was strange; Roxas was always so used to seeing Axel tall, dominant; this spunky figure that wouldn't let anything bring him down, but he looked so different here—sort of helpless, Roxas felt a lump develop in his throat just thinking about it.

And then Axel spotted Roxas. He grinned widely; Roxas could not remember the last time he had seen someone have a grin on their face like this, so full of joy. "Roxas!" Axel exclaimed in surprise. "You're here! Wow, I can't believe it! Man, I would have never thought I would have seen you! Hey, hey, Mom, can you give us a minute? Why don't you go down and have some breakfast, too? Yes, yes, I'll be fine. Now go on, go on." Axel had not had much energy today, for obviously, who could after such an ordeal? But as soon as he saw Roxas, it seemed like he got a new surge of energy, and he was smiling and grinning, and his eyes…even his eyes looked happy. His eyes really _did_ look like emeralds now, Roxas noticed.

"Yes, I am here," was all Roxas could say in a monotonous voice, his eyes vacant.

Axel waved a hand in front of Roxas' face. "Hey, Rox, you still there?"

Roxas shook his head back and forth wildly. "Yes, yes, I am here, Volcanohead. And I honestly don't know _why_ I am here. Rinoa just told me that you were in the hospital, and that you were hurt, and that you were in St. Vincent, and…and—"

"Whoa, Roxas, hold on a second there. I'm just glad you came." And there was that smile again; such a brilliant smile. "So…you care about me enough to come and see me, huh?" he asked, his smile morphing into a grin. Oh, there Axel had to go and do it again, ask an idiotic question, just when things were getting a bit better. Oh, how oblivious he is!

Roxas was silent, but he was shaking. Axel stared at him. Was he…shaking with rage? Uh-oh…he had done something wrong.

"Yes, I came here because I was concerned for you! Who wouldn't be? You could have been killed!" Roxas finally shouted, still full of rage. "I still don't like you, but I was worried about you! I'm not…I'm not that cruel…"

"Roxas…" said Axel, somewhat stunned. Now, he obviously realized he had said the wrong thing, but it was too late, and Axel could not go back and erase his mistake—but perhaps—he could try and fix it, anyway. "Roxas, I know you don't like me and that you're not my friend or anything, I didn't mean it that way. I was just…joking. I'm just glad that you came," said Axel, sounding almost pitiful.

Roxas suddenly felt ashamed. He stammered as he spoke. "W-well…well…it's not like I hate you or anything, you know."

"Really?" said Axel, hope in his emerald eyes.

"I suppose."

"Oh, Roxas, you have made me so happy! I think I'll feel all right now! I'm gonna get up out of this bed now and do a jig!" And Axel attempted to do so, but immediately cried out in pain as he did so. "Oh, shit!"

Roxas ran toward his side and pushed him back down. "Now don't do that! Geez, are you friggin' crazy or something?"

"W-well, no…"

"Well, you're a pyromaniac, and I say you're crazy. Now lay down and get some rest. You won't get better at all if you do that. I _forbid_ you to get out of that bed, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't talk back to me, Volcanohead."

"I wasn't; I was sincere."

"Oh…well, in that case, go right ahead."

Axel could not help but smile for the longest time.

* * *

Breakfast had gone by, and Riku went back up to Axel's room, Kazumi and Sephiroth had stayed back for a bit—Sephiroth had insisted he needed to discuss a very important matter with his mother. Riku simply shrugged and went by himself. He cracked open the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Axel was asleep. He smiled softly. But he was quite shocked, indeed, to see a boy with dirty blond hair sitting in a chair, asleep as well. Riku furrowed his brows together. Who was this boy? Riku was friends with all of Axel's friends, so this made no sense. Who was this mysterious boy?

"What the hell?" Riku could not help but say.

Surely enough it was just enough to wake up Roxas, and he shot up like a light, jumping slightly out of his chair. He looked around the room wildly. His blue eyes finally landed on Riku, and they widened in recognition and anger. Silver hair! "You!" he shouted. "It's you!"

"Yes, it's me," said Riku, puzzled.

"_You_ are the person that opened this door with such force, that it hit the wall and pushed me against it! You seriously hurt me, you—you—you **fiend**!" Roxas accused, standing up and pointing his index finger at Riku.

Of course, this was enough noise to wake up Axel. He groaned, opening his eyes. "Where am I?" he asked, his eyes still out of focus.

Riku immediately forgot about Roxas and turned to face Axel, frowning slightly. "Axel, you're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Silence. And then… "Yeah, yeah, I do. Roxas?" he said, yawning. "Oh, I remember how you came here. I'm so glad."

Roxas simply huffed, crossing his arms, casting a condescending glance at Riku; Riku recoiled. "Are you all right…Axel?"

Immediately, the sleepiness and weariness in Axel's eyes melted away, and his focus was entirely on Roxas. "What did you just call me?"

"What?"

"Did you just call me…Axel?" he asked.

"What are you talking about, Volcanohead?"

"You didn't call me Volcanohead, you called me Axel," said Axel, smiling brightly.

"I…I…" Roxas was at a loss for words.

Axel then cleared his throat. "Riku, this is Roxas, he's one of the boys at Destiny Orphanage, and I really like him; Roxas, this is Riku, my best friend."

"It's nice to meet you," said Riku.

"I detest anyone that slams me into the wall with a door. So…just go away, 'kay?"

Riku looked affronted.

* * *

Some time later that day, Axel was no longer smiling, and Riku was getting seriously worried. That…Roxas punk was still here, and he was grating on Riku's nerves horribly. He could not take it. Every other thing that came out of his mouth was an insult. Riku knew he needed to cheer up Axel somehow, but he could not think of how to do it exactly; for he himself was not happy, and it was basically futile to try and cheer someone up when you yourself are down.

_I just feel so bad for him,_ Riku thought. _Even though my dad's dead, I had such a loving father—I cannot imagine what it would feel like, to have one of your parents hate you so much that they would physically abuse you._ Riku felt his heart twist uncomfortably just thinking about it again.

"Axel, I love you so much. You know that, right?" said Riku to the redhead.

Roxas' eyes widened at this. Riku…_loved_ Axel? As in _that_ way? He was totally flipping out. This was…this was unthinkable! Roxas was quite angry, indeed. But _why _was he so angry? He was not sure, he simply was.

"You feel like my brother, Axel. And remember…we all love you and want you to be a part of our lives forever."

Roxas sighed in relief. Brothers…that was all right, he supposed. _But why is it all right? _he screamed in thought. Honestly, he could be as oblivious as Axel sometimes.

"You don't have to tell me, Riku. I already know," said Axel, with a small smile.

"You'll be better soon, Axel," said Riku, attempting to smile for Axel, though he was worried it came off fake. "Don't worry, all right? You'll be…you'll be all right."

Axel laughed softly. "Don't worry about me, Riku. As you said, I'll be all right. I'm really not hurt very badly."

Riku was about to say something, objecting, when suddenly his phone rang. He was going to ignore it at first, but Axel told him to answer it, so he did. "Yes?"

"Riku!" It was Yuffie.

"What is it, Yuffie?" Riku asked. There was silence for a moment. It seemed like Yuffie did not want to say what she had to. "What is it, Yuffie?" Riku repeated.

"Oh, Riku! It's terrible! We don't know what to do!" Her voice sounded desperate and distraught; Riku was getting increasingly worried.

"What is it, Yuffie!" asked Riku, his voice rising and beginning to sound desperate and frantic himself.

"It's Sora!" she finally managed to get out.

"What is it?" Riku shouted. "What's wrong? What happened? I need to know, damn it! Yuffie—tell me—_**TELL ME**_!"

But Riku got no response. He shouted at Yuffie again, and yet still no response. Riku was beginning to lose it. Why wouldn't she speak to him? But then Riku realized that there was no sound on the other line, he pulled away his phone.

It was dead.

It took all his control inside of him not to throw the phone at the wall. Riku gripped his right hand into a fist, attempting to control himself. What…was…_wrong_? Was Riku doomed to have horrible things happen to his friends today? What, was he not doing better in life? Was this how he got repaid for changing? Having his best friend nearly killed by his father, and then having his newest friend, whom he found joy with whenever he was around the boy, have something wrong with him, too? He didn't even _know_ what was wrong with him this time! Was he sick, was he injured, was he de—

No, Riku would not finish that thought. He stopped still, immobile. His phone slipped through his fingers, falling on the floor.

"Riku…is everything all right?" Axel asked, concerned.

"I have to go," was Riku's response. "I'm sorry, Axel, but I have to." Riku quickly left the room and went in search of Leon and Cloud, whom he found right away. Apparently, Yuffie had not called Cloud, but had just opted for calling Riku right away. The three hurried; Riku knew he just needed to get to the orphanage as soon as possible—he could not waste any time.

Riku felt like time was stretching on forever and ever. It seemed to take hours to get back to the orphanage, when, in reality, it took merely fifteen minutes. But Riku thought they would never get there. His heart was pounding out of his chest. What was wrong? What was so fucking wrong?

_Why me?_ Riku shouted in thought. _Why can't I have a happy life? Why must these things happen…these horrible things happen…to people…_

Finally, they arrived at the orphanage, and Riku was out of the car before it was even fully stopped. He was racing, the wind hitting his face harshly. He ran up the stairs in a matter of seconds and threw the door open. All the children were downstairs, but not a single adult—not even any of the teenagers. Riku was flipping out. Then Leon and Cloud entered, running as well. Riku quickly dashed up the stairs, needing to find Sora right away.

"SORA!" Riku called as he ran down the hall. He threw open the door to the teens' room, calling out the boy's name again. Riku ran to his side instantly, noticing the brunet was doubling over, crying, having trouble breathing, and seemed to be suffering from a fever. He seemed to be in great pain, and Riku could not stand it.

"R-R…Riku…" he barely managed to get out, his voice was hoarse.

"Sora…Sora…what's wrong?" Riku asked, speechless.

"I-I-I…" Sora was at a loss of words at what to say.

Riku embraced him, taking his small form into his strong arms, pulling him closer and closer to his chest.

"I really…I really missed you, Riku!" Sora finally managed to get out, gripping onto Riku as tightly as he could. He felt so complete now that Riku was here, and that he embraced him so warmly. "I-I—I'm so used to seeing you every day—I did not know what to do! I'm used to eating with you and talking with you! I-I-I-I—I—just really suddenly started to feel sick from crying so much, and I felt so hot—and then I felt like I couldn't breathe and—"

Riku wrapped his arms around the brunet even tigher, pulling him as close to himself as possible. "I'm right here, Sora, don't worry."

"Y-you…you won't leave me, will you, Riku?" Sora asked, sounding helpless.

"I'll always be here for you, Sora, don't you worry about that," said Riku, clinging to the brunet.

Sora felt so warm and safe in Riku's arms; he could not remember the last time he felt so safe…so content. He was joyful. For once, in his life, he was joyful. He was so…so happy. "Riku…Riku…I'm so…so sorry. I was awful. I shouldn't have gotten so upset and made myself sick—and with your friend in the hospital—"

"Shh. Sora, don't worry about."

"B-but—but—"

"Dinner's soon, do you want to eat together?" Riku asked, smiling brightly, pulling away so Sora could see.

"Y-yes…yes, I would like that, very much," said Sora, smiling just as brightly.

Riku pulled Sora in for another hug, never wanting to let the boy go. "Now don't you worry ever again, Sora. I'll be here…for all our meals together, okay?"

"O-o—okay," said Sora, slightly muffled against Riku's shoulder.

* * *

It was late at night now, and because of Sora, Riku had not gone back to the hospital to see Axel, worried of what would happen—but he did call him, and he and the redhead talked for quite some time. But then Axel said he was getting tired, and wanted to sleep, so the two friends said goodbye. Roxas was still there; he had not left the redhead's side once.

Lyla had stepped out for a moment to call Kazumi, whom had left about twenty minutes ago with Sephiroth. So Axel and Roxas were alone for the moment, and Roxas was silent—he did not utter a word.

"I suppose…I will be leaving now, Volcanohead. After all, it is getting late, and I require sleep, you know. You're not stupid enough to not realize that, correct?"

Axel merely smiled. "No, I'm not. Roxas…I'm very tired, and I guess I'll see you tomorrow? I may have to be on crutches for a few days, though."

"All…all right." Roxas looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Good night, Roxas," said Axel, yawning slightly.

"Good night…Axel," Roxas whispered.

But Axel was already asleep, so he had not heard it.

Roxas stood up and headed toward the door. He had no money, so he would have to walk his way back, he supposed. Roxas shrugged his hands into his pockets. Soon he was out of the hospital and outside, feeling the cold air hit his face in an abrasive wind. Roxas sighed, looking down at his shoes.

"Whatever…will I do?" was all he said before he walked back to the orphanage slowly.

And then it began to snow.

Roxas…always loved the snow. He opened his arms wide, and spun around in circles as he headed home, smiling slightly; but then he reverted to putting his hands in his pockets, and trudged back home. He felt so bad…he could not think straight, really, but he supposed, everything would be all right…in the end.

Or at least, he hoped.

But unbeknownst to Roxas, hope can go a long way, and he would just have to wait and see how far it really went.

* * *

**1 – **I had just recently watched August Rush, which I really loved, and her name was Lyla, and I thought it was pretty, so that's what I named Axel's mom.

**Next chapter: **(Yes! I'm giving you all one this time! :P) Riku has a conversation with Leon that lasts longer than two seconds, Axel gets out of the hospital and gets back to Roxas, and Riku and the rest of the gang paint!

Yeah, not much…but it's only half-written, so I don't know what all is going to happen yet! And you may ask, "But Miss Star, wouldn't you have an idea, anyway?"

And I would just say… "Umm…nope. My brain's pretty much fried. Yep."

Hah. Anyway, I hope you all didn't mind Axel's background story—it was really important to the plot, and I was planning to do it from the beginning, just like with Reno's story. Remember—this is not just a story about Riku and Sora, it's about Axel and Roxas and Reno and Leon and Cloud and Yuffie and Kadaj and Tifa and Zexion and Demyx, and even Kazumi and Lyla. It's about many different characters, and they are all very important, and must get their say in the story. Also, it was originally just going to be a dramatic, somber chapter—but when Roxas entered, it changed, because I never seem to be able to write him unless it's somewhat humorous. o.O

Also, I know this may sound really lame…but I actually began to _cry_ as I wrote Axel's background, when Riku first came. It just made me so sad… But I was kinda tryin' to go for a somewhat happy ending there to the chappy, but not overly so. Did I pull it off? Just tell me in your review!

Oh—and just one more thing—if I were _**really**_ evil, I would have cut it off after Riku's phone died. But I'm not that evil—and I don't like to have two cliffhangers in a row, because I think it's too mean. XD

**Additional note: **This chapter was edited in 2009 before Miss Star returned to work on this fic, because she was displeased with how Sora's story turned out. Hopefully it is not so bad now.

Well, see ya next time! And don't forget to **review! Let's hit 200, people!**


	10. Painting is Good for the Soul, Uh huh

It has been an age once again, over a year—how many darn times am I going to leave this story and return? -_-' I am deeply sorry about being gone, but see, I had a lot and a lot and a lot of personal issues going on. First, I was in a biking accident and was really injured, and then issues went on with my (now) ex-boyfriend. I won't go into them, but the man's a pig. A lying, cheating bastard. That was the main reason I was never able to ever come on here and write, and I guess you can say school as well. Being a senior sucks, that's all I gotta say. Also, I started ice skating again. That was a good thing; I should have never quit in the first place. It takes a lot of my time as well. (And just last Saturday, I had a bad skating fall, and have been off my feet for several days. Isn't that nice?)

I'll try and update when I can, but I won't promise anything. I hope you guys who originally read this story are still around and remember it—all the reviews and comments I got before were so awesome, you guys are the best. I love you all, seriously. Hopefully you'll enjoy this, whether you're a first time reader or returning after my very long break!

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to _help_ them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** Don't make me say what I must—it makes me so utterly depressed… -Quietly mouths that she, in fact, does not own Kingdom Hearts- Oh, the humanity! -Faints-

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews: **You guys are so amazing; you have no idea how happy your reviews make me! And thanks for the critique/comments so much, because if you say anything that seemed a bit off, I go back and edit it often—especially the last chapter, thanks for all the comments! Man, we hit 200 reviews and beyond! I'm so sorry I was gone so long, it's so unfair to you guys that faithfully read my stuff, but I greatly appreciate it all, and I hope you guys return to see this silly mess of a fic through to the end!

**A/N:** I went back and edited the last chapter, 9, with Sora's episode and everything—it just didn't come out the way I wanted it to—so I strongly suggest you read the parts of last chapter involving Sora again before reading this one, that is, if you read this story before—but if you're a first time reader, go ahead and hurry and read this one! Anyway, it _has _been a while, but most of this chapter was written back when I was writing the other ones, but I had to go back and change some, since, as I said, I edited the previous chapter quite a bit. Anyway, I tried to make this one extra long to make up for my absence once more! Hopefully you guys will like it, I had a blast writing it! Now on with the story—for I must shut up and stop typing now. XD

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 10. Painting is Good for the Soul, Uh-huh

-o-

"_Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

The next day, Riku called Axel immediately after he woke up. Axel sounded better that day—more cheerful and happy. He said that he had been released, for there was nothing really wrong with him—just beaten really badly. They subscribed him some pain medicine, and advised him just to take it easy and get plenty of rest. Axel's mother had wanted him not to go to Destiny Orphanage, but he persuaded her to let him do so. He told her he would be fine. Riku told Axel that he would try and visit him some time today.

But Axel simply said, "There is no need—there is someone who needs you far more than I do."

After getting off the phone with Axel, Riku turned to look down at Sora. The brunet was still asleep. He smiled softly—but then it morphed into a frown. He had never expected...that something like that would happen with Sora. _Why_ had Sora gotten so sick like that—just because Riku was gone for a few hours? It worried Riku so much; he had never expected anything like this to happen. He had never, _ever_ wanted to see Sora that upset, crying, and sick.

Riku sat back down on his bed, a headache beginning to make itself evident. He supposed he should wake Sora up, for it would soon even be time for breakfast; the boy was sleeping in late today. "Sora," Riku whispered quietly, attempting to wake the boy but he also didn't want to shock him or disturb him. But the boy did not stir whatsoever to the mention of his name; Riku repeated it slightly louder; still, no movement.

"Sora, time to wake up," said Riku, touching the boy's shoulder.

And that, of course, was the magic touch. Sora's eyes fluttered open, and he moved from his back to his side. He then saw Riku's blurry face (for his eyes were still clouded over with sleepiness) and he smiled. "Riku...you're here."

"Of course I'm here, silly. Where else would I be?"

"I don't know," said Sora, shaking his head. "It's just...since yesterday, I was worried, I guess. I'm sorry, Riku."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for, Sora," said Riku. "I just wanted to talk to you about—" Riku stopped as he suddenly heard Kadaj yell out that breakfast was ready. "I'll be right back, Sora—and with food." Riku grinned.

Sora grinned as well. "Okay, Riku."

Riku quickly ran down the stairs, where he ran into Yuffie before he could head into the kitchen. "Good morning, Riku," she greeted. "Hey...how's Sora? Is he still all right?"

"He's fine, Yuffie."

"GREAT!" Yuffie exclaimed suddenly, grinning widely. Ah...Yuffie was no longer worried and she was her usual self again. "Because remember, darling Riku, we are painting today, and you agreed, so you will not be getting out of it, 'kay? We were going to do it yesterday, remember, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Riku, nodding his head slightly. Honestly, he just wanted to forget about that day and erase it from his memory. He knew Axel and their mothers felt the same way. They had tried to forget about the past with Axel's father, and mostly, they tried to not think of it, but there was always one thing that reminded them—that would never go away. But they could try their hardest to forget. Riku shook his head, a fake smile on his face. "Sure, sure, Yuffie. That's fine. When will we start painting?"

Yuffie did not notice the fake smile, though, and just continued to grin widely. She twirled around on her heel. "Riku, m'dear, we will start painting right after lunch. It's a good time for us, since Kadaj won't be busy, and well...everyone else will try and help, too."

"Sounds good to me," said Riku. "Now, Yuffie, I really have to go. It's time for breakfast—you know. I really need to give him his breakfast."

"Are you sure he's all right?" asked Yuffie, just having to get it out of her system.

"Yeah, Yuffie..." said Riku. He waited a moment, prepared to go get the food, but he could not help but ask something. "Hey, Yuffie...do you know anything that could have brought on what happened with Sora? What I mean is—has he ever gotten sick and upset like that before, anything like that?"

Yuffie shook her head. "No, Riku, ever since he was first here (and I wouldn't know, because I didn't work here when he first came, but Reno told me) he's been very quiet—barely spoke a word. Some of the other kids apparently thought he was deaf, so they just started to ignore him entirely, never even bothering to talk to him. Cloud told me that Sora's always been quiet. He said he's tried to talk to him many times—but usually all he'd get out of him was a word or two. We've never seen Sora cry or be upset like that. It seemed like he had asthma or something. No, nothing has ever happened like that before."

"Really?" Riku asked, worried. "So he's always...he's always been like that?"

Yuffie nodded her head.

"Thank you." Riku then took off into the kitchen, not able to speak to Yuffie anymore. He quickly got the food and then headed back up the stairs. He stared at the door for the longest time; the food was beginning to grow cold. He felt like he could not enter for some reason. He was not entirely sure why, but he felt like he could not. It was not like the time when he could not enter Axel's room at the hospital—this was different.

Was Sora really that insecure...that he could not handle Riku being gone for just a few hours? Why had he ever opened up to Riku in the first place? Why was he the one? _What's so special...about me, anyway?_ Riku thought. _I mean...Sora barely spoke a word before, Yuffie said, but he started talking to me...and when we went out for lunch, Sora was talking quite a bit. Did I really...help him so much?_

Riku shook his head. _Whatever I did, if I helped him or not, I want to help Sora continue to grow—where he can talk and feel secure about himself, and not think he's horrible because he survived and his parents didn't. I have to...I have to help him, somehow._

Riku had never been sure of why he had taken such an interest in the brunet in the first place. The first time he had laid eyes on Sora, he knew there was something different...something special about him (and no, he didn't mean special in_ that_ way). There were so many different things behind Sora's blue eyes—so many different emotions and feelings; Sora had a smile he had never seen on anyone else's face, such a sweet and innocent and beautiful smile—no smile could compare; he had a soft, quiet voice, it was sometimes hard for Riku to even hear him; and sometimes...sometimes Sora looked so small and frail and weak—that it just made Riku's heart hurt. He was so _fragile_.

Riku cleared his throat and entered, seeing Sora's bright smile as soon as he did so. Riku smiled, as well. "Hey there, Sora, sorry I took so long."

"No problem," said Sora, his smile still intact.

"Hey, the food looks really great today."

"Yeah, it sure does."

Riku sat down on his bed after handing Sora his tray. He began to eat, as did Sora. Riku watched Sora out of the corner of his eye. So far today, he had been acting normally—nothing out of the ordinary. Well, it was normal for Sora, anyway. Riku returned his gaze back down to his food, no longer looking at him.

"So, Sora, how have you been feeling lately?" he suddenly asked, startling Sora. "No longer feeling sick or anything, right?"

And it wasn't just Riku speaking to him that startled him—it was the question in itself as well. How had he...been feeling lately? How was he supposed to answer that? "I-I—I don't know," was all he could utter.

Riku sighed, setting his tray to the side. "Sora, you need to tell me how you're feeling. You know, I care about you—I care about you deeply—and I want to make sure everything is all right with you. I just want...to see you happy and healthy, all right?"

There was silence for a long time, and Riku did not feel like speaking again—he did not want to rush Sora. If he did not feel like talking about this today, he would simply try and ask him the same question tomorrow. Either way, Riku was going to get to what Sora felt deep down inside—how he felt about himself—he really...he really just wanted to see the boy be as happy as he possibly could be.

"I...I really don't know how I feel," said Sora, finally.

"That's okay," said Riku. "We can talk about it later, okay? Let's just eat now, all right?"

"O...Okay."

* * *

Roxas was very anxious this morning. Whenever would Axel come in? It was late—and he still was not here. Roxas was growing more anxious by the minute—no, the second. That Volcanohead had said he would be here today—that it would be all right and he would come in—but why wasn't he here yet? Roxas paced back and forth anxiously. And just then, a noise came from the door; Roxas' head immediately jerked around to look at who it was. He let out a breath he had been holding when he saw a spike of red hair. So...Volcanohead had come after all.

Sure enough, he was on crutches as he had said—and he still looked as bruised and beaten as ever, and still had the bandage on his head. Roxas stared at Axel as he came through the door, but showed no motion of standing up—and he did not call out to him or anything. Well, actually, he was planning to, but as soon as he opened his mouth to say something, Rinoa, Seifer, Zell, Lulu, Marth, and several kids ran up to him, asking him many questions. Roxas rolled his eyes, returning to his comic book. He was going to talk to Axel, damn it. He was here first...

"Roxas!"

Roxas' ears perked up at this. Had someone just called his name? Hmph...odd, indeed. And the voice sounded familiar, too—and somewhat annoying. But Roxas paid no mind to it, and continued to read his comic book.

"Hey, Roxas!" called the same person, before they sat down beside him.

Well, Roxas couldn't exactly ignore _that_. He looked away from his comic book, only to discover that the voice belonged to a certain redhead. Roxas immediately set down his comic book and sat up, somewhat shocked. "V-Volcanohead?"

"Hah. That's me, I guess."

"H-how...how are you?" Roxas asked.

"I'm okay, really. I mean...my ankle should be fine soon, my arm's already quite better, and I'm just really sore right now, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Anyway," Axel laughed, "I'm still moving out and about—so that's gotta be good for something, but how are you, Roxas?"

Roxas stared at Axel, silent. How could he ask a question like that—when he himself was so badly off in the first place? "U-um...I'm fine." Roxas scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat awkward and nervous.

"Well, that's good to hear," said Axel, smiling brightly. "So...let's talk about how you called me Axel yesterday."

Roxas looked affronted. "As if I would call you by your first name, Volcanohead!" he protested. "That would never happen in a million years! You were simply delusional from being bopped in the head!" As soon as he said it, Roxas regretted it. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at Axel, the smile immediately vanishing from his face. "I-I—I—I didn't mean it, Axel! I am so...so sorry."

"It's okay," said Axel, a hint of a smile returning to his face. "And besides, you just called me Axel again."

Roxas looked horrified. "Oh, no, I didn't! I clearly called you Volcanohead, you big dope!"

"Well, I say otherwise."

"Well, I beg to differ from your opinion!" Roxas protested.

"Oh, Roxas, come on...you don't have to beg."

"I'm not begging, you idiot!"

Axel laughed.

It would seem when it really came down to it laughter and fun were the best medicines of all. And Axel was laughing a lot and having a great time just being around Roxas. It was truly...making him feel much better.

"They've sure got something special, huh?" Rinoa whispered to Seifer.

Seifer grunted. "Yeah...they do."

* * *

Breakfast was done with now, and Riku decided to hang around in then teens' room with Sora's for a while.

"So...are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Riku asked, attempting to be nonchalant; he did not accomplish it.

"I...I don't really know," said Sora, his voice quiet and sounding confused. "I-I mean...what am I supposed to say, really? I have no idea."

Riku repositioned himself on his bed, leaning in closer towards him. "You can tell me...anything. What are you feeling? Happy? Scared? Emotional? Freaked out? Sad? Mad? Anything at all, Sora—just tell me."

Sora looked at Riku for quite some time—trying to think of what to say, thinking it over. "All...all right. I guess—I guess I feel scared? I don't know, really—I guess I feel kind of scared. I don't know exactly why, though. It's confusing..."

Riku waited patiently, keeping quiet. He just wanted Sora to continue talking.

"I mean, after Mommy and Daddy died, I really...I really didn't have anyone else to be around. Everyone else scared me. I didn't want to talk to them—I wanted to keep quiet, so I ignored them and kept to myself. But when I saw you...something seemed different. I don't know what it really was—you just seemed _different_. I felt like I could talk to you, I felt like you could help me. And I guess...I guess I'm scared because I'm worried you'll leave me, like my mom and dad."

"I—I—I won't leave you, Sora—I already told you that yesterday, you don't have to worry about that. And Sora, listen, everyone cares about you here, too—they were all very worried about you yesterday...you should try and talk to them, trust me. Now, what else are you feeling?"

"Confused," answered Sora immediately.

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Confused? Confused about what?"

Sora looked rather nervous; but before Riku could even question him on his confusion—and his nervousness, the door was opened, and in stepped Yuffie. Riku now looked horrified. "What is it, Yuffie?"

Yuffie just continued to grin, her hands behind her back. Okay...something was definitely up. Riku crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. Yuffie laughed somewhat nervously. "Okay, Riku, I need you to do something for me—well, not just for me, for the whole orphanage."

"Spit it out, Yuffie."

"Ehehe... Well, it seems we forgot to pick up the paint, what with planning it, and what happened yesterday...so...could you go and pick it up with Leon?"

"Why me?" Riku yelled.

"Well, it will be several cans, so Leon would need some help."

"No, I mean, why must it be _me_ that helps? I don't want to!"

"Now, Riku, you're sounding like your old self."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," said Yuffie, indignant.

Riku sighed, exasperated. "Oh, all right. But why can't Cloud go? Or Reno?"

"They're both busy, especially Cloud."

"And what about _you_?" Riku asked, curious.

Yuffie merely shook her head at Riku. "Oh, silly Riku, I am very busy myself."

"With what, exactly?" Riku asked dryly.

"Oh, I am the entertainment for the children, of course!"

"Oh, how I pity them," Riku muttered to himself.

Yuffie quickly pulled Riku up from his seat and threw him to the door. She grinned as he quickly ran down the stairs, her throwing him propelling him forward. She then sat down on his bed. She turned towards Sora. "Hey, Sora."

Sora stared at Yuffie for a long time. Finally, he uttered, "H-hi," very quietly.

Yuffie smiled. "How ya feelin' today?"

Meanwhile, downstairs, Riku was grumbling and cursing the evil Yuffie. Leon spotted him and walked over to him. "Don't worry," he said, "I won't bite you."

_Ahhhh! _Riku screamed in his head. _He's even scarier when he talks! Oh no! Run for the hills!_ He honestly thought Leon really _did_ look like he would bite him. Especially after he had said that. It made him look even scarier—which was rather odd, when you thought about it. He cleared his throat nervously. "All right, Leon."

Leon called out to Cloud, "I'll be back soon, okay? I'll miss you."

"Bye, Leon! Miss you too!" Cloud called back.

Riku stared at Leon for a moment, as the brunet walked toward the door, preparing to leave. His tone...had not sounded nearly as gruff as usual—when he talked to Cloud. This was very interesting, indeed. _Well, do'h, Riku, _thought he, _he's his boyfriend now. _Of course_ he'll be nicer to him. I am such an idiot._

"Well, are you coming or what?" Leon asked, the door wide open, letting in a draft.

"Y-yes!" said Riku, as he quickly clambered towards the door. He quickly went down the stairs, following Leon, and then got into Leon's car, and drove away. Riku sat there in the passenger's seat, feeling very...awkward and out of place. He had never been left alone with Leon before, so this was very weird, indeed. He kept his mouth shut—not sure of what to say, and if he really wanted to talk to Leon at all or not.

"So...how you doing at school?" Leon suddenly asked out of the blue as he continued to drive.

Riku was so shocked by the fact that Leon had just asked him a question, that he did not answer right away. His eyes were wide, and he had the most shocked expression on his face—his mouth was wide, too. Honestly, Riku was gawking. Finally, though, he realized he should speak, and he cleared his throat nervously. "Ehehe...well...yeah, school's fine, I guess. I get good grades."

"Really? What college are you planning to go to, then?"

Riku looked even more shocked now. He expected Leon just to grunt or something in response, but he had gone and asked him another question! Oh, honestly, what was the world coming to? Riku felt like he was going to lose his mind. "U-um...well...I was thinking of Twilight Town's college."

"That's a great place—I graduated from there, you know."

"Really?" Riku could not hold back the enthusiasm behind his voice. He was generally excited. He had never met anyone before that had gone there. "What's it like? Are the classes good? What about the teachers?"

"Whoa, one question at a time, there," said Leon, laughing slightly. Riku gawked. He realized this was the first time he had ever heard Leon laugh. Now that...had to count for something, right? Man—he had never known Leon was like this. Riku supposed then it was like he had judged him—based on how he acted usually, and Riku felt badly about that. Goes to show that the saying is true: you can't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, you can't judge a Leon based on how he has spoken about ten words to you in the past. Now, that was just plumb rude. "Well, it's a really great school, I was able to learn a lot, the classes were excellent—and almost all my teachers were fantastic."

"Good, good. But which teachers sucked? What if they're still there if I go?"

Leon let out a laugh. "Hah. Well, the worst teacher...was Mr. Hopkins."

"Like, are we talking about Anthony Hopkins here?" Riku could not help but ask. "Because...having a cannibal for a teacher would totally suck." **(1)**

"No, no," said Leon, smiling slightly. "Mr. Hopkins...was basically evil. He always asked me questions suddenly, ones that had nothing to do with the close—so I was unprepared to answer. Hopefully, if you go, he won't be there anymore. He was rather old, anyway."

Before Riku could say anything further, the car stopped.

"We're here," Leon announced, pulling out his keys and pocketing them.

"Oh...okay." Riku opened the door and stepped out. It was rather odd when he thought about it—he had never known Leon was capable of talking so much. He supposed...that it showed he really did not know all that much about Leon, which was true. He realized then, that basically the only person at the orphanage he was spending time with—was Sora. He knew he needed to spend time with him, and he wanted to, but he needed to spend time with others, as well. He wanted to get to know everyone better—even Reno (though he had already learned quite a bit about the redhead, to be honest).

They walked into Home Depot, and began to walk towards the paint section.

"So...what paint are we getting?" Riku asked, shrugging his hands into his pockets.

"I have no idea," said Leon. "Yuffie just said that we had to pick it up. It was already paid for and everything."

As Riku and Leon neared closer to the paint section, Riku suddenly spotted a huge pile of cans of paint in the distance. There were so many. Riku laughed slightly at the sight. He pitied whoever was picking up all of _that_ paint. Seriously, it would take forever to load all of the cans into a cart, and then get them into a car. But despite his pitying, Riku could not help but laugh. But then, suddenly, Leon walked ahead of him, and began loading those very same paint cans into a cart. Riku's jaw dropped in horror. _No way!_ he thought. _Yuffie bought...that much paint?_ Literally, in his mind, he was flipping out. He seriously was. And this was no exaggeration, mind you. Not even in the slightest.

"No…no way!" said Riku, utterly astounded, his jaw still dropped.

"Yes, sadly, it's true," said Leon. "Come and help."

Riku did so, but he was still so astounded, he could not talk. The whole way home, actually, he was unable to talk, his mouth was wide the entire time—still amazed that they had this much paint. Was Yuffie planning to have them paint the outside, too? Well, Riku would simply refuse, if that were the case! Painting walls was one thing, but painting the outside of a building was an entirely different matter all together.

He was going to have a miserable fucking day.

* * *

They had arrived back at the orphanage, and by then it was time to eat lunch. But before Riku could even attempt to go to the kitchen, Yuffie glomped him. "Oh, Riku! You're back! Have you gotten the paint with Leonella?"

"Leon...ella?" Riku repeated slowly.

"Yes! When I first found out that Leon was gay, I started calling him that...but then I stopped calling him that—because I forgot about it, and now I suddenly just remembered!"

"Don't call me that again," Leon warned as he passed by her.

"No can do, Squally!"

And it would seem...that Yuffie was in quite a hyper mood today. She would not be told what to do, no siree.

"Yeah, we picked up the paint, Yuffie, will you let me go now, huh?"

"Nope!"

"...Please?"

"Still, the answer is nope!"

Finally, after a few minutes, Yuffie finally said Riku could be on his way. He rushed to the kitchen and got his lunch and Sora's, and then went up the stairs. "Sora, I'm back again!" he announced as he opened the door. "Sorry about how Yuffie threw me out before I could not even say goodbye. It was a bit extreme, don't you think?"

Sora smiled at the sight of Riku. He then laughed at what Riku said. "I'm glad you're back, Riku. So...you all are going to be painting, right?"

"Right. Hey, Sora, remember how we were talking earlier—"

"So, what color? Is it going to be bright and colorful? Or softer and plainer?" Sora asked quickly.

At how much he spoke—and how quickly, Riku was able to tell that Sora did not wish to speak about what they had been earlier. _All right,_ he thought, _it's a-okay with me. Perfectly fine. We'll just talk about something else, instead._ "Um, actually, I don't know _what_ color it is," said Riku, thinking about it. "Oh my gosh! How could I have not even thought about checking? Oh, I am an awful person!"

Sora chuckled. "Riku, you always make me laugh."

Riku stopped accusing and cursing himself, to stop and look at Sora. His beautiful laugh. Every time he heard it, it was like a refreshing sound—simply beautiful. He always had to stop and listen, cease to listen or pay attention to anything else. He smiled softly. "Well, you always make me smile when you laugh, Sora."

"Why?" asked Sora as he began to eat.

"Because...it's a wonderful sound," said Riku, his eyes gazing down at Sora softly.

Sora looked up at Riku, his blue eyes looked somewhat confused and full of wondering. "No, it's not."

"Yes, it is," he insisted, grabbing Sora's left wrist and staring into his dark, sapphire eyes.

"A-all right," Sora succumbed, his cheeks tinted.

* * *

"Roxas, you know, you are saying Volcanohead just because you want to. It doesn't even make sense anymore!"

"What on Volcanohead are you talking about, Volcanohead? I can say Volcanohead as much as I Volcanohead to."

"You're replacing other words with Volcanohead!" Axel protested. "Do you not even realize it?"

"I am merely saying it because you keep insisting I called you Axel, which I clearly did not."

"Well, fine, you didn't call me Axel, okay? But if you're going to insist on keep calling me Volcanohead—then I must think of something for you."

"What?" said Roxas, completely astonished. He could not be called nicknames! And surely, Volcanohead would just call him something really dumb, like, _shorty_ or _pretty boy_. He would not stand for this!

Axel thought it over. Since Roxas called him Volcanohead because his hair reminded him of a volcano, what could he call Roxas, because of his hair? He thought about it for a long time, and then finally, he thought up the perfect nickname. "Tornadohead!" **(2)**

"Excuse me?" questioned Roxas, raising an eyebrow.

"Tornadohead," Axel repeated. "I called you Tornadohead...because of how your hair looks."

"Yeah, I figured that out, Sherlock," said Roxas. "But...but you know, you don't have to be so _mean_."

"Mean?" said Axel, gaping. "You're always mean to me!"

"That is entirely beside the point, Volcanohead," said Roxas, his arms still crossed.

"No, Roxas, that is the point entirely!"

"Hey, you didn't call me Tornadohead!" Axel pointed out, entirely ignoring what Axel had just said.

Axel slapped a hand to his forehead. "Roxas, please listen to me. I don't really want to call you Tornadohead; I just said that because you always call me Volcanohead, that's all. You've called me Axel a few times—no matter how many times you try to deny it. Well, I'll be leaving you alone now, I have to go and help Rinoa." And then Axel left, crutches and all.

Once he was gone, Roxas sat there, alone, feeling oddly lonely without the redhead by his side. He stared at the door for several long minutes—where Axel had gone through just moments ago. He continued to stare, not entirely sure why he was staring at all—but deep down, deep down he had a pretty darn good feeling as to why, he just ignored it.

"I sort of...I sort of miss you, Axel," slipped through his lips quietly.

* * *

Lunch was done with now and it was time to get in some good painting. Honestly, Riku was beginning to regret his decision in saying he would help. The horror of his mother painting his room pink when he was younger came to mind—and he had to repaint the whole thing blue himself, for Kazumi said, "Oh, I most certainly won't partake in it. After all, pink is a much lovelier color than blue. Don't you agree, Riku?"

Of course, he did not.

Either way, whether he wanted to paint or not, he would not be getting out of it—he would have to do it no matter what. Why? Because, it was simple—Yuffie could tell what Riku was thinking, and every time he got that look in his eye, she walked up to him and said, "No way! You're painting, and that's that!"

And so, of course, that was that.

"Well, I suppose it's time to paint then, huh?" asked Riku, his shoulders slightly slumped and leaning over slightly.

"Yes, it is, m'good boy!" said Yuffie, slapping Riku on the back, making him nearly fall to the floor in shock. "Cheer up though, why don'tcha? Honestly, turn that frown upside down!"

"I'm not frowning, Yuffie."

"I think I should know what you're doing, sweetie." Yuffie then cleared her throat. "Anyway!—let's get to painting! Painters will be Riku, Tifa, Leon, Cloud, Reno, Kadaj, Zexion, Demyx, Marluxia, Xemnas, Larxene—and, of course, me!"

"Well, you better be painting," Riku grumbled under his breath. "This is all your stupid idea, anyway."

"What the hell happened to you?" Yuffie asked. "When I first asked you, you were all for it, buster!"

_Did she just call me buster?_ thought Riku, a bit freaked out. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Yuffie, that was before I remembered the horrid memory of painting from my childhood."

Yuffie suddenly grinned widely. Riku did not care for that look whatsoever. "Oh, and dare I ask what it is?"

"No, no, you do not dare, Yuffie."

"I think I just did, Riku."

"Well, I'm not telling you either way."

"I won't leave you alone until you do!"

"Well, I don't care!"

"I'll force everyone to not paint—and just have you paint it all, instead."

Riku gawked at Yuffie. There was no way! No way! _No way!_ Riku continued to repeat over and over again in thought. He was in utter disbelief, in all honesty. He simply could not comprehend such a thing, you know. Rather hard on him, of course. "You wouldn't..."

"Oh, yes, I would," said Yuffie with a smirk.

"Fine!" Riku shouted. He then whispered quietly in Yuffie's ears (for he did not want anyone else to hear, after all), "My mom painted my room pink—and I had to re-paint the whole thing blue by myself. And I had a big room, trust me."

Yuffie suddenly burst out laughing. "But Riku, darling, you should have kept your room pink! Pink suits y—mf!"

Riku quickly covered a hand over Yuffie's mouth. "Shut up about that, you!" he ordered harshly.

"MI fill mot be buiet!" Yuffie said, though it came out quite muffled, for, her mouth was covered by Riku's hand, after all. Yuffie then bit Riku's hand, and ran away from him, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Riku loves pink! Riku loves pink! Lalalala!" And she repeated it over and over and over again, and Riku felt like he was going to go deaf. Really. He could not take it anymore. Especially when others began to laugh, and he even saw Leon holding back his chuckles. He nearly lost it, in all honesty.

"Oh, I'll paint, all right! Just shut the hell up!"

"Woohoo!" Yuffie cheered. "All right, then! Let's get this party started!"

"I wish I were dead," Riku groaned.

"What was that, dearest?" Yuffie asked, the wide grin still intact on her face.

"Nothing," said Riku. "Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought," said Yuffie. She then skipped along her merry way.

* * *

So, it was finally time to paint—and in order to paint, the furniture had to be moved. Riku did not complain about this, because Yuffie was watching him like a hawk. Riku began to feel like a pitiful rabbit about to be swooped up by her. She was positively evil.

They decided ('they' AKA Yuffie) that they would start by painting downstairs first. This took a very long time, even with twelve people. Finally they finished, though, and it was time to start painting upstairs.

"Yay, yay, yay, I'm so excited!" sang Yuffie as she skipped up the stairs. "Painting is so much fun!"

Truthfully, everyone seemed to be having a really good time except for Riku. He was just tired, that was all. But he had to admit, that painting wasn't _all_ that bad, but with Yuffie dancing every which way (and often "accidentally" getting paint on others) was a bit too much to take at times. But he still felt really tired—he would just be glad when all of this was over. But then he remembered he would get to see Sora upstairs soon—and that made him very happy.

He was suddenly grinning as they began to move furniture in the first room they were to paint upstairs. Reno noticed the sudden improvement in the silver-haired boy's mood and expression and he asked him about it.

"Yo, Riku, why are you grinning like an idiot in love all of a sudden?"

Riku was suddenly snapped out of his pleasant thoughts of Sora by the stupid redhead; whom he would rather forget even existed. After being snapped out of said thoughts, he was suddenly shocked by what the stupid redhead had just said.

"What did you just say?" asked Riku, his anger meter beginning to rise.

"I said, and I repeat—_Yo, Riku, why are you grinning_—"

"I know!" Riku screeched. "I heard what you said!"

"Then why are you asking me what I said, hmm?"

"Because you are a fool! Why would you say such a thing like that?" Uh-oh...Riku's Anger Meter™ has risen to 12...beware!

"Because you really looked like that—and so I was curious as to why, that's why!" Reno defended himself

"Well, curiosity killed the ca—ca—oh, shit, forget it!" Riku found that he could not even utter the phrase _curiosity killed the cat_ because, well, since he detested cats and thought they were the spawn of Satan, and since they always seemed out to take his life, that he just could not bring himself to say it; he simply could not—and that was that.

"Why can't you say that?" Reno asked, now curious about this, too.

"Aw, forget it!" shouted Riku, wishing Reno would just implode and be gone forever.

"Nah, but seriously, Riku—what were you thinking about when you were grinning like a fool in love?" Reno asked, sounding a tad more serious than he often did.

_Sora_ was the thought that was instantly in Riku's head. He had been thinking about Sora when he was grinning so happily, but that was just because he was thinking about how he would see the brunet again soon—not because he loved him or anything... No, of course not. Sure, Riku cared for the boy—he really, really did—but he did not love him in _that_ way.

He most certainly did not.

But, in a way—

"Will you two quit yakkin' and start painting already? All the furniture's already been moved, you fools!" Yuffie screamed at the two of them, bopping both of 'em on the head.

"All right, all right, already," said Riku, cursing Reno for getting him into this whole mess in the first place.

"Riku is in looooooove!" Reno announced as he skipped around the room, going ahead and grabbing a paint roller. He then began to paint, as he continued to keep singing, "Riku is in love - la dee da la dee da - Riku is in love" over and over and over again.

Now, something happened that had never, ever, _**EVER**_ happened before. It is truly a horrific event, and it is too much for young children to witness, even most adults, for that matter. Hardly anyone could stomach to witness such a scene. It was a most terrifying experience, and let me tell you—you have experienced nothing in life in a horrific way—until you have experienced this.

All right, I might as well go ahead and cut to the chase now, hm?

Well, the fact of the matter is...

The anger meter hit...

...15.

Yes, Riku's Anger Meter™ had never hit that level in his entire life before, and, well...if you _do_ in fact remember, if his anger meter hit 15, it meant...well...that you were dead. This isn't looking too good for our idiotic—but still loveable—Reno...now, is it? Yes, the anger meter had been rising steadily, but had managed to still stay controlled, somehow, but Reno prancing around and singing such things was the final straw; the absolute final straw. Riku could no longer take it, and his anger meter had finally reached the deathly level. 15.

And when it actually managed to reach this level, Riku stomped over to Reno, intent to kill (he seriously was going to kill the poor lad); he had the look of a murderer in his eyes, and Yuffie, Cloud, and some of the others noticed this. They wanted to stop him, but he just looked so _darn_ scary that it seemed like if they got in Riku's way, they, too, would end up dead. First of all, when Riku actually reached Reno, he punched him (Oh, my! Physical violence!), and then he attempted to strangle him, of course, this did not actually happen, because as he was just about to do so (he had already begun to wrap his arms around his neck), the anger meter dropped down to 14.9, just barely missing out, and Riku let Reno go.

But after he let him go, and Reno looked scared out of his mind, he ordered, "Don't you _dare_ ever say that again," and stomped out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, the group left in the room realized Riku was a force to be reckoned with.

And then, five minutes later, Riku returned, apologizing tremendously for what he had done (and almost done!) but Leon dismissed the entire thing, saying that Reno had had it coming to him; Reno looked affronted at Leon's comment, and turned away from Riku, unwilling to accept his apology.

But then...five minutes later once more, Reno practically glomped Riku, saying, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" and continued to apologize over and over again.

My, word! Too much emotion in this one room! It's practically suffocating in here!

* * *

It was time to (finally!) paint the last room, and Riku (and the whole team of little painters, actually) were quite exhausted, and by now, they just wanted to be done. The only one that still managed to actually be hyper and in a good mood was Yuffie—no one else could take it anymore. Especially Riku, you know—especially him; he was the worst off! He felt like he was going to collapse any minute now...

But then he remembered, the last room they had to paint was the teens' room, and that meant he would get to see Sora. Riku nearly jumped for joy, and he was grinning again, grinning like a fool in love—but quickly, the grin disappeared. After all, he did not want Reno or Yuffie or anyone else to spot his happy grin, for fear they would say he looked like he was in love again.

_Pssh, as if,_ thought Riku.

_Oh, Riku, how oblivious you are!_

"Gack!" Riku screamed out, falling over.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Reno, staring at Riku as he lay on the floor, in shock.

"Who knows?" said Yuffie with a shrug.

_Oh, my, Riku, why do you sound so surprised?_

"I thought you were gone, that's why!" Riku voiced his thoughts aloud...oh, my.

"Uhh...and now he's talking to himself," Reno pointed out.

"Just ignore him; he's crazy," replied Yuffie.

_My, Riku, now everyone thinks you're crazy...maybe you shouldn't voice your conversations with me aloud, hm?_ suggested the voice.

_I couldn't help it!_ replied Riku. _I was surprised you were back! Why are you back, anyway? You've been gone forever!_

_My, your sense of time is off...I only went away in chapter 8!_

_What in the hell are you talking about?_ Riku asked the voice in thought.

_To be perfectly honest, I have no idea._

Riku growled in thought. _For goodness' sake, will you get to the point already? Why are you back again?_

_Oh, my...but Riku...I thought you missed me? You mean you did not? You sure acted like you did while I was taking that nap..._

_So...this whole time you were just taking a nap?_

_Yes, indeed!_

_Now that we got _that_ out of the way...will you tell me why you are bothering me now?_

_Oh, yes, yes, you see—you don't realize that you are, in fact, in love with someone._

_You are fucking wrong this time, you stupid, stupid voice,_ Riku spat.

_No, I am not, Riku. Don't forget—and how many times do I have to tell you this? I _am_ you. Nothin' is changin' that._

_It's changing right now! _Riku screamed in thought._ Because I'm going to ignore you and you're gonna disappear!_

The voice was prepared to retaliate, but was interrupted by a spunky Yuffie.

"Riku!" she whined as he tugged on his arm. "We have to hurry up and paint the last room! C'mon! You'll get to see Sora and after that we'll have dinner, okay?"

Riku was grateful that Yuffie was here for once. The voice would not shut up, and kept singing _exactly_ what Reno had been singing earlier, and it was getting stuck in his head, and Riku himself almost began to sing it, to be honest. It was driving him cra-_zy_. Absolutely nuts. He felt like he was about to shoot someone...but whom could he shoot? If Seph were he, he'd probably shoot him. Hmm…maybe he should head back home now, get out of the rest of the painting job, and go shoot Sephiroth...yes, that idea suited him quite well...

My, word! Is Riku in a murderous mood or what today? It was the fault of Yuffie, Reno, and the voice...combine all three of them together, and the anger meter would probably reach an uncharted, invisible level...like 20 or something. Then someone really _would_ end up dead, that's for sure. Riku was bound to kill _someone_ one of these days, but maybe...just maybe...Sora would keep him in check. Whenever he was around Sora, the anger meter was at 0. He could never be mad around the brunet—he simply could not.

Anyway, they had (finally! Once more!) moved onto the last room, and this time they were actually _in_ the room. Leon and Cloud had gone ahead and already begun to move the furniture. Demyx was singing; Zexion was ignoring; Marluxia was simply prancing around; Xemnas was telling the paint to submit, though it for some reason would not listen to him. Aerith and Tifa were in a big discussion; Larxene was off in a corner brooding; Kadaj had gone ahead to help Cloud and Leon more furniture. Reno and Yuffie went ahead decided to set up all the paint stuff, for once not deciding to bug Riku (Reno had learned his lesson last time, and Yuffie thought it best to ignore him for the moment, after all, Riku was finally able to see Sora.)

So yes, that was what he was doing. Riku had wandered off to go visit Sora, for he had not seen him since lunch, and he was really, _really_ beginning to miss the boy. Riku smiled brightly as he walked over to Sora.

"Sora!" he greeted happily.

"Hi, Riku!" he greeted back with a big smile of his own; the smile that Riku loved so much. "I—I've missed you a lot. But I guess you've been pretty busy, huh?"

"Yeah, I have." Suddenly, the memory of last night slapped Riku in the head.

He worried about how Sora was feeling—if he were all right. He wished Sora would open up to him a bit more—tell him what he was feeling. Well, it had worked a little earlier—and Riku really could just be glad for that much. _I don't know how it would feel like to be in Sora's situation—so if he has problems, I can try and get him to open up to me, but it he wants to keep them to himself, then he should be allowed that, too._ But Riku just hoped, to be honest, that Sora would not get so upset if he were gone again. But the silver-haired teen had no intention of leaving Sora like that again.

_But what about when I leave? When I'm done helping out here...?_ he thought. It had never really occurred to him before...that he would have to end up leaving. The thought...seemed odd. He had only been here nine days , but still...it seemed almost, like he had been here forever. It seemed weird...the thought of leaving.

"Riku! Stop talking to Sora and get to painting, you hear me?"

Who was it? Of course, it was Yuffie. Who else would talk to Riku in such a way?

"Oh, fine, devilwoman!" Riku replied.

This resulted in Riku getting a paintbrush chucked at him. And the paintbrush had _paint_ on it. It went right across his cheek, barely missing his hair ('twas a good thing Riku had put his hair up in a ponytail, 'twas indeed.) His left eye began to twitch, as the anger meter rose once more. Oh, Riku truly is murderous today, indeed, he is! Oh, the horror of it all!

Riku grabbed a brush himself, dipping it in the deep red paint can that was already open, and threw it right at Yuffie's face. She tried to dodge, but it was too fast, and it smacked her right in the nose.

"You did not just do that," she growled.

"You started it!" Riku objected.

Reno then decided to be merciful and save everyone the trouble. "Paint fight!"

After that, it all went downhill. Further downhill than it had even been before. Riku felt like he was at the bottom of a bottomless pit, and seeing as it was impossible to be at the bottom of a bottomless pit, you knew Riku was in a dark place—a very dark place, indeed.

* * *

Now, back to Volcanohead and Tornadohead...

Roxas had managed to piss Axel off, even in the horrid state he was in.

This upset Roxas, because he did not _really_ want Axel to be upset with him, especially after all he had had to go through. He really, _really_ felt bad about the way he acted, and he wanted to apologize. But Roxas was stubborn, and often he refused to apologize. But he knew this time it was called for. So after avoiding Axel all day, he decided to find the redhead and apologize to him like he deserved to be.

Although, finding the redhead turned out to be a harder task than he first presumed it would be. In fact, Axel was nowhere to be found _in_ Destiny Orphanage. After looking everywhere, he finally asked Rinoa, and she said that Axel had stepped outside for a few minutes. So Roxas went on outside to go search for him. He found him easily; he was just sitting down on the stairs, with his bad leg laid out straight; his back turned to Roxas, he already knew who it was.

"Hey, Tornadohead," he greeted, smiling, though Roxas could not really see that.

"I—I—I—I'm sorry...Axel," he managed to finally get out his apology as he sat down beside Axel. "I really, really am."

"That's okay, you don't have to apologize, Roxas."

"Hey—not calling me Tornadohead?" Roxas asked, managing a grin.

Axel laughed. "Well, you didn't call me Volcanohead, after all. I thought it was only fitting."

"Hey...mind if I just...sit here a while with you?" Roxas asked, feeling sheepish all of a sudden.

"Please do."

And so the two (friends?) sat together, Volcanohead feeling content, and Tornadohead feeling quite happy himself. He really did...miss Axel when he wasn't around.

* * *

Riku hoped he would never have to go through such an experience in his life again. Never. Ever. **Ever**. It was so horrific it made any other war seem like nothing! It was the horror of..._the paint war_!

Yuffie and Reno were the worst devils, but everyone got quite involved. After Reno kept spraying Riku with paint, the silver-haired teen finally grabbed an entire bucket of blue paint and splashed the entire thing on Reno. The redhead's hair now appeared to be an odd shade of purple...and he said that Riku would regret what he had done. Deeply regret it, indeed.

Well, after this, Reno grabbed a can of (pink!) paint, and dumped the entire thing over Riku (it took about ten minutes to finally catch the teen, though). Riku went into hysterics following this. He would probably never get over this incident in his entire life—he would live with the horrors of it all still troubling him even to his grave. Yes, it _was_ that bad.

But somehow (thankfully) the paint war finally came to a close, and without the room really being painted at all. Everyone was splotchy with a million colors from all the paint (Yuffie seemed to have picked a few cans extra of different colors, such as pink, just for fun). Riku was mainly pink, though also red, orange, green, blue, and purple. His hair...oh, his hair! He wondered when it would ever return to normal. Even though it had been tied up...it _still_ managed to get paint on it...mostly pink paint. Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

Everyone was practically covered from head to toe, and if Riku were in a better mood at all, he would probably laugh at how they all looked, but he knew he probably looked the worst of all, so he kept his (slight) amusement to himself.

Finally, everyone got around to painting (how was there any left, even?) and Riku was just about to start, when Sora called for him. "Yes?" he asked without looking towards the brunet.

"Hey, Riku—can you come here for a minute?"

"Yeah, okay," he replied, setting down the paint bucket he was moving over towards the wall. He straightened up and turned around to face Sora, only to get a paintbrush with yellow paint thrown at him, hitting his arm. "Ack!" he cried out in surprise, never suspecting that Sora would partake in the (now dead) paint war.

"Hey, what was that for?" Riku asked in surprise, walking over closer to the boy.

Sora giggled, covering his face with his hands. "I'm sorry—it's just—it looked like fun," the boy managed to get out between laughter.

Riku could not get mad at Sora for this, he wanted him to have fun, too—and if it was at his expense—he did not mind whatsoever. Riku smiled at Sora. "Oh, really? Well, surely you won't mind this, then," he said as he dipped his right hand in green paint and then he smeared it across Sora's face.

Sora looked curious at first, feeling the paint on his face; he then let out a small laugh.

Riku groaned and fell down to the floor.

"What is it, Riku?" Sora asked, bewildered.

"Ah, you just look—look—so damn cute," Riku confessed, defeated.

"Riku, get your butt off the floor and finish painting now!" Yuffie demanded. "We have to hurry up and finish, I went ahead and ordered a bunch of pizzas!"

"Pizza?"

"Yes, and if you want any, you better hurry up and get over here!"

"All right, already!" But before Riku left, Riku hoisted a can of paint up on Sora's bed, and handed the boy a paint roller. "Here, do you want to help, too, Sora?"

After a moment, Sora answered, "Yes!" with a smile.

Riku's heart fluttered again.

_You hear that, Riku? There goes your heart a-fluttering. Hmmm...I wonder what that could mean?_ asked the voice.

_Shut up and go away!_ Riku demanded.

* * *

So after they finally finished painting, the pizza just came, and even though everyone was an utter mess, and paint was all over everywhere, it had been...a very fun day. Riku could not remember having so much fun in recent times (and such horror, too), but when he thought of it, he knew that all his past days here with Sora...had been fun, sweet, magical...he really felt like his life had been flipped upside down when he started volunteering here—and when he met Sora, his life had been changed for the better, he knew it, and for once, he was eternally grateful to his mother.

Riku sat down with Sora, and the two ate their pizza together. They talked a lot; Sora really was starting to talk more than he used to, now. Riku was glad. Maybe, just maybe, he would get Sora to open up to him more, and maybe he would _really_ get to know whom Sora was. He really wanted to know.

That night, before he went to bed, Riku called Axel again, and the two talked for a little while. But Axel said he really had to go, mumbled something about "Tornadohead" or something of the sort—Riku was confused, but he let it go. Axel sounded fine, really—actually, better than fine.

Riku was glad. He was glad that even through all these horrible things that they had to go through, that still—life seemed so _good_. He could not help but feel happy as he lay in his bed, waiting for sleep to overcome him. Sora was already far gone, the boy was tuckered out, and after all, it had been a very eventful day. Riku was just so...undeniably happy—and he wondered if it was okay—if it was okay to be this happy in life.

Riku turned his head to glance at the moon peaking in through the window. He smiled as he turned back, closing his eyes. _Oh, well,_ he thought to himself, _I believe...it really is all right to be this happy, and I hope we all can be this happy...for a long, long time._

And with that, Riku finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**1 **– Uhh…just Riku being dumb and acting stupid. XD Connecting Anthony Hopkins to a teacher with the last name Hopkins. The cannibal thing comes from Sir Anthony Hopkins playing one in the Silence of the Lambs. Actually, I haven't seen the movie, I always get a bit too creeped out to watch it. XD But I'll see it one of these days, anyway.

**2 **– Tornadohead. Hahahaha. One of my reviewers, and I believe it was Empress of Misfits, suggested that Axel call Roxas something, and she thought up Tornadohead. Hahaha. I loved it so much I just _had_ to use it. XD

**Next chapter: **An entire chapter devoted to Axel and Roxas! Bwahaha, it shall be brilliant! I just love AkuRoku so much! I don't think Riku and Sora or any of the others will be in it all—I really want to write a chapter with just Tornadohead and Volcanohead. XD Won't give any of it away—just now that it will be titled: _The Adventures of Tornadohead and Volcanohead. _XDXD

Anyway, thank so much, I am so glad to be writing this again! Please remember to **review**, as your reviews give me the inspiration to keep writing! :)


	11. Adventures of Volcanohead & Tornadohead

I know, it's been nearly three years, and probably anyone who originally read this story is no longer on , but I can't help it. I want to continue this story—it still holds a very special place in my heart. I am terribly sorry for my absence.

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea. He doesn't want to –i-help-i- them, but he doesn't have an option.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, unfortunately.

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews: **I can't believe I've gotten so many reviews on this fic! It made me SO happy! I really missed writing this fic, and if I could some more good feedback, it would give me the inspiration to continue!

**A/N: **College is my answer for lack of update. Yeah. It really sucks and takes all my time. I was planning to write over Christmas break this time, and then I broke my ankle. I'm only just started to walk now—and it's April! It really sucks, and I had to take the semester off of school, which means I have to do summer school, but I will have more time to update now.

I will try and update this and "I Remember You" as frequently as I can. I also plan to finish "I'll Be There for You" when I have the stomach for it (I lost all inspiration on that story—I'll probably end it in two more chapters so it can be done.)

I have the next chapter written and part of the 13th…so I will try and update this every two weeks for the time being—hopefully alternating with I "Remember You."

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 11. The Adventures of Volcanohead and Tornadohead

-o-

_"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Axel woke up bright and early in the morning; he ate breakfast in a hurry, quickly said goodbye to his mother as he ran (more like hobbled quickly) to the door, and was out in a flash. He made his bus on time, boarding quickly, and then the bus was off. He was in a great hurry today. Why? Because—it was quite simple: he wanted to see Roxas. He _really_ wanted to. And that was that.

Axel did not question _why_ he wanted to see Roxas so badly, for it did not seem odd to him in the slightest, of course. He just wanted to see the boy, that was all, nothing strange about that. He really liked spending time with Roxas, even though the blond could often be cruel or mean to him—he thought they were finally getting close. And he liked that; he liked that a lot.

And as I already said, Axel would never question why he was so drawn to Roxas, or why he wanted to be friends with him so desperately. Nope. Didn't seem out of the ordinary. Not at all.

Axel was a bit lost in his own thoughts on the bus ride over, and when the bus stopped, it took him a minute to realize that this was _his_ stop; yes, he was that lost in thought just thinking about how much he liked the blond! So he quickly stood up, grabbed his crutches, and exited the bus (a bit difficult with crutches, yes, but somehow he managed, anyway.)

He entered Destiny Orphanage, already feeling happier just being here. He thought it would be nice, helping out here—but he never _knew_ just how much he would enjoy it here. And no, it wasn't just because of Roxas (but he was quite a bit of the reason), he really liked everyone here; Rinoa was always so nice, and he really liked all the children here. But, of course, as I said, Axel most definitely did not suspect he would meet someone like _Roxas_ here, and that made a huge difference. It seemed all a bit futile, at first, but after last night, Axel was really excited about how his relationship with Roxas would grow.

So, Axel made it into Destiny Orphanage and immediately looked for Roxas; he found him pretty easily, he was just up in his room—reading a comic book. Again.

"Hey, Roxas!" he greeted with a grin when he spotted the blond.

Roxas looked up from his comic book for a moment, and then he decided to set it down, smiling himself. "Hey, Axel."

"No longer calling me Volcanohead, eh?" questioned the redhead.

"Well, since you called me Roxas, I decided to be nice," Roxas tried to act all snobby and mean, but he only ended up grinning. To be honest, he couldn't really hide his excitement at seeing Axel. Yes, it was true—the redhead really was growing on him as of late, and he was beginning to show that.

"So..._Tornadohead_..." he grinned as he spoke, "I have an idea for today."

"And this idea would be what, Volcanohead...?" he asked, a bit mystified.

"Would you spend the day with me, Roxas?" he asked, smiling brightly. Oh! It was all a bit blinding—Axel had such a nice smile, after all.

"Uhh...say what?" Roxas was quite at a loss for words. To be honest, he was a bit embarrassed.

"I asked if you'd like to spend the day with me. Come on! It would be fun!"

"What a thing to ask, Volcanohead!"

"Will you do it, then?" asked Axel, not really picking up on how Roxas felt about it.

"I—I don't know!" Roxas protested.

"C'mon, Roxas, say yes—please?"

"But don't you have to stay here and help out?"

"Nah, that's taken care of. I already asked Rinoa yesterday, she gave the okay, thinking it was a great idea."

"I never saw you ask her!"

"Uhhh...that's because you weren't around when I asked her," he answered. "Anyway, will you please spend the day with me, Tornadohead?" He grinned widely as he asked once more.

"Okay—sure," Roxas answered, smiling slightly himself. After all...the thought of spending the day with Volcanohead wasn't all together terrible.

"Yay!" Axel cheered.

* * *

"Why are we here?" asked Roxas, nearly speechless.

It was unbelievable. Roxas simply could not process a reason as to why they would be..._here_. It did not make sense—whatsoever! He stood, horrified, merely staring at the building. He had never believed in a million years that when Volcanohead asked him to spend the day with him they would end up _here._

It was all too horrific!

And that was a fact.

You see...they were at...

...Chuck E. Cheese.

"Because I thought it would be fun," he answered with a shrug. It didn't seem odd or weird or horrific to him in the slightest, most certainly not!

"For four-year-olds!" protested Roxas.

"It can be fun for us, too! I have fun here!"

"But you act like a four-year-old!"

"I know!"

Face palm. _He admits it! _thought Roxas. "Well, Volcanohead, there is no way I am going in there. Not a chance. No way. Nuh-uh."

"Well...gosh!" said Axel, seeming actually hurt and upset now. "I really did think it would be fun here! I always had so much fun when I was a kid; I always loved coming here with my mom. We had...good times here, just the two of us. Everything's been so crazy lately, I really thought...it would be nice."

Roxas was left speechless. _Fuck, I can be so insensitive sometimes!_ he thought, mentally cursing himself. _How could I not think about what Axel's been through lately? Of course he'd want to go somewhere to forget it all!_

He sighed aloud; for the thought of going in there, and for how he was upset at himself for being insensitive to Axel after everything that had happened. "Okay, I'll go."

"Thanks, Roxas!" Axel then proceeded to drag Roxas into the building.

Once inside, Roxas felt very uncomfortable. _Everyone_ was staring at them in the building. Oh, it was driving him crazy! Children, workers, and concerned-looking parents...they were all staring...at _him!_ Just because they were teenagers! It's as if the parents thought they were going to molest their children! Roxas gulped nervously. He wanted to shout out at them and tell them to mind their own damn business, but then he thought the workers might not appreciate him swearing in here...

Once at the counter, Axel ordered a hundred tokens (fifty each) and a large cheese pizza. He suggested the two find a table and set down their stuff.

After they did so, Axel clasped his hands together and said, "So, want to go play some games now?"

"No way!" Roxas objected as he sat down at the table. "I may have agreed to come in here, but there is no way I am playing kiddie games, kapeesh?"

"But Roxas!" Axel objected. "You have to! I already paid for this many tokens!"

"Use 'em all yourself!"

"I can't use _this_ many!" he objected again.

"Nuh-uh, no way, ain't gonna happen."

"Uh-huh, yes way, it is gonna happen."

"Why are you twisting my words, Volcanohead?"

Axel grabbed Roxas' wrist and dragged him away from the table, using one crutch to support himself. "C'mon, you can at _least _play Skee Ball," he insisted.

Roxas sighed. "I suppose Skee Ball isn't so bad." He then added, "But _just_ Skee Ball, okay?"

Axel tried to suppress his grin. "Okay, just Skee Ball."

"Anyway—I must tell you something," said Roxas as he inserted his token into the slot. "I am a master of Skee Ball—so prepare to lose, Volcanohead." He grinned cockily.

"Oh—all right—if you say so," said Axel, going ahead and picking up one of the Skee balls, grinning himself.

Of course—because Roxas _professed_ himself as a master of Skee Ball—he ended up losing. By a lot.

"I...lost?" he said to himself after the game of Skee Ball was done. "And I lost by a lot..."

Axel stared at Roxas for a moment. The next thing Roxas knew—was that Axel suddenly came over and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around the younger boy, pulling him very close. "I'm sorry you lost, Roxas—and it's okay you lost. Don't worry about it. Everything's okay."

Roxas didn't really know what to do. Axel was so very warm... "Uhh...okay," he mumbled into Axel's shirt, feeling a bit dumb that he had gotten that sad that he had lost to the redhead. Feeling very warm and comforted, he wrapped his arms around Axel's back, too—not exactly thinking clearly for the moment. "Thanks...Axel."

"Better now?" Axel asked, still holding onto Roxas.

"Yeah—I am."

"Good," said Axel as he began to pull away.

"Mommy? Why are those two boys hugging?" a little boy asked his mother as they passed by Roxas and Axel.

"Well, sweetie, in this world—there are two kinds of people—"

Roxas' eyes suddenly bugged wide. He was left standing there as Axel started to head over to another machine.

"Wait up, Axel!" he called as he ran after the boy. "Didn't that bother you?"

"Did what bother me?" asked Axel, a bit confused.

"What that mother was saying to her kid! She said we were GAY!"

"Oh." Axel shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I am gay, so that didn't bother me."

"You're...gay?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"No—it's not. I just...didn't know."

"Okay. Well—anyway, let's go see if our pizza's here yet."

Roxas was left a bit confused. Axel...was gay?

* * *

Roxas was staring down at the piece of pizza on his plate tentatively. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It did not look good. "I am not eating that," he declared. "It looks _incredibly_ gross and greasy. Just...eww."

Axel stared at Roxas in shock. "You refuse to eat pizza?"

"No, just _this_ pizza, Volcanohead," he clarified. "It looks extremely...questionable."

"C'mon, Roxas, just try it!"

"No!"

"I won't shut up until you do!"

"Oh, dear Lord, I cannot bear that," groaned Roxas. "Fine, Volcanohead—I shall eat a slice of pizza."

"Thank you very much, Tornadohead."

For some reason, this made Roxas laugh. A lot. Axel then grinned himself, breaking out into laughter a moment later.

Roxas ate his pizza, though he still questioned its "sanitary issues," as he dubbed it. Axel would merely laugh and poke fun at him, while he continued to eat the pizza. He was practically eating the entire thing by himself. He finally persuaded Roxas to take another piece of pizza, and the whole process repeated itself. He stared at the pizza for a long moment.

"Geez, you look like you're trying to burn it with your heat vision," Axel commented.

This made Roxas laugh. "Oh, if only I could burn it—then it would be gone!"

"You could also eat it—then it would be gone, too!" suggested Axel, laughing.

"Fine! I shall do just that, Volcanohead."

"Once again—I thank you, Tornadohead."

And then both boys burst out laughing once more, and Roxas seemed unable to control himself. It was very...odd, for him. He had not expected to have this good a time with Axel, especially at a place_...like this_. It seemed so...bizarre! And yet here he was—laughing and having a good time. Though to be honest, that pizza _was_ crap.

In fact, Roxas was laughing so hard that he ended up falling out of the booth.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he fell down. He then began to laugh again. "How the hell did that happen?"

Axel stood up, offering a hand to Roxas. "Hey—need a hand?"

Roxas stared at Axel's hand for a moment, questioning what he should do. He opted for what seemed right. "Thanks," he said as he took the redhead's hand.

Once Roxas was back on his own two feet, Axel grinned, asking, "Want to go play some more games?"

Roxas was prepared to say no. Even though he _was_ somehow miraculously having a good time with Axel at _this_ place, he was not prepared to play any more. Oh! The staring! Oh, the horror of the staring! He could not take it! So yes—he was all _prepared_ to say no, but that wasn't exactly how it went down, you see. "Fine—sure."

"Okay! Good!" Axel beamed.

Roxas groaned in thought. _What did I just agree to?_

* * *

Amazingly, though, Roxas actually had a good time playing the various games with Axel. People staring at him had toned down a bit, so he was able to enjoy himself a bit more. Some of the games were actually quite fun and he ended up getting quite competitive.

Roxas ended up even winning a jackpot on one of the games, winning over a hundred tickets. He was quite pleased. And then later—when Axel got a jackpot on one of the games as well, Roxas said, "Volcanohead—you are clearly a copycat." This made Axel burst out laughing, and Roxas grinned in response.

So it was a good time for the two—and Roxas was immensely surprised, of course. Roxas refused to _admit_ he was having a good time...at Chuck E. Cheese's..._with_...Axel, but honestly, he didn't have to, as it was kind of evident by all the smiling, the laughing, the grinning—of course Roxas was having a good time.

And finally, all their tokens had been used up. And they had a lot of tickets—and I mean _A LOT_. So many, they basically had to carry them in a bucket—which they did, by the way. Where the bucket came from? To be honest—neither of them were sure.

"Okay, time to count the tickets," announced Axel as they headed over to one of the ticket eaters.

"Oh, gee, I couldn't figure that out for myself, Sherlock," said Roxas, rolling his eyes. "But I really do wonder...how many we got."

Suddenly, a thought came to Axel. _Gosh, Roxas is cute._ He then added in thought, _Wait...did I just think Roxas is cute? _For once in his life—Axel was not oblivious to his thoughts—and he questioned them! Yes, indeed...why _did_ he think Roxas was cute? Was there a deeper meaning to this?

But as Axel began to insert the tickets into the ticket eater, the thoughts of Roxas being cute and him questioning said thoughts flew right out the window. Another thing about Axel: he forgets things quite easily.

"I don't know, but it sure is a lot, huh?"

"Again—stating the obvious, aren'tcha, Axel?"

"Well—that is my job, Roxas."

"You're an idiot."

"I know."

Roxas smacked a hand to his forehead. Again. _He admits it! _he thought. Again.

* * *

Five minutes later...

* * *

"Oh, for goodness' sake—this is taking forever!" Roxas exclaimed in frustration. "How many damn tickets do we have, anyway?"

"A lot."

"You are so smart, Axel."

"Thank you."

Roxas leaned against a wall, sliding down. "I give up—too many tickets!"

* * *

Two minutes later...

* * *

"Oh! That was the last ticket!" Axel exclaimed all of a sudden.

Roxas, in fact, had fallen asleep—but as soon as he heard Axel's announcement, he woke up and sprang to his feet. "Finally!"

The little receipt spit out of the machine and Axel took it. "Oh, my..."

"We have...like a million tickets!" **(1) **Roxas exclaimed.

"I know!" said Axel. "C'mon...let's go get some prizes, 'kay?"

"Okay!"

So the two walked over to the prize counter, still garnering a few stares here and there. Axel and Roxas had to wait a few minutes—as a little boy was currently getting his prizes, and the worker was busy helping him.

Suddenly—a thought occurred to Axel—an observation, really. And he voiced his observation. Aloud. Oh, Axel, what a foolish mistake! "Hey, Roxas, isn't it funny? At first you hated the thought of coming here—but now you've gotten really into it and even want prizes!"

Roxas began to shake. He was blushing, though Axel did not notice (oblivious—as already stated). He continued to shake, clenching his fists until finally he shouted, "SHUT UP!" And then—all eyes were on him once more.

Oh, Axel, how silly you are! Axel has the problem of never knowing when to shut his mouth—which tends to get him in heaps of trouble, you know—as I'm sure you've noticed several such cases involving little Tornadohead. If only someone had ever gone up to Axel and told him to _fermez la bouche_! Perhaps Axel would now know when to shut his mouth—and Roxas would not be upset with him. And why is it in French? Don't ask me. But—of course—no one ever did tell him to _fermez la bouche_, so Axel was left an oblivious idiot.

Axel was hurt, and really didn't understand why Roxas suddenly yelled at him like that. But before Axel himself could say anything, Roxas said, "Uh—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that; I didn't mean it."

"Thanks, Roxas!" said Axel as he hugged the blond for a quick second.

Roxas grumbled under his breath about "idiotic Volcanoheads" or something of the like.

* * *

They had quite a hefty amount of tickets, so they were able to get quite a few nice prizes. First of all, they each got a bag of cotton candy, as Axel had insisted. Not like Roxas complained, he loved the sugary fluff, too. They each also each got a light-up/globe thing—as Axel had described it himself. And then with the remainder of their tickets they got several Tootsie Pops; Roxas also got some Pop Rocks for himself, which he insisted upon.

Currently, the two had just gotten back in the car and Axel was driving out of the parking lot.

A few moments of silence passed by as Axel drove; Roxas finally decided to speak up. "So, where to now, Volcanohead?" he asked as he poured some more Pop Rocks in his hand before tossing them back in his mouth.

"Ah—well—that's a secret."

"A secret?" questioned the blond, cocking his head to the side. "Why?"

"I dunno. I just thought it would be fun—so I want to keep it a surprise."

Roxas was suddenly intrigued now. "C'mon...where are we going?"

"Nope—it's a surprise," said Axel, shaking his head as he suppressed a grin.

"Gosh, I don't understand why you're so secretive," he grumbled under his breath.

* * *

Finally, the two had arrived at their destination.

"You couldn't possibly tell me we were just going _here_?" Roxas asked once they were right outside the _secret_ building. "Why were you so damn secretive about it? We're just at a movie theater, for goodness' sake!" he exclaimed with arm motions.

"But I thought it would be a fun surprise!" Axel insisted, using his arms to emphasize his point as well.

"But why keep it as such a secret?"

"Because I wanted to!"

"People are staring!"

"I know!"

"I don't want them to keep staring at me!" Roxas shouted yet again, but he also somehow sounded pitiful.

"Oh, okay, let's stop," said Axel as he walked over to Roxas and hugged him quickly again. "Anyway, let's go see what's playing here."

Axel led the way, and Roxas followed after him. _That's the third hug today,_ thought Roxas. _Axel had never hugged me like this before. I wonder why he's gotten so touchy-feely all of a sudden?_ It wasn't like Roxas was _complaining_ about Axel hugging him, though—most certainly not. He just wondered what brought this on so quickly.

"So what type of movie do you feel like seeing?" Axel asked once they reached the ticket line.

This snapped Roxas out of his current thoughts. He shook his head before responding. "Uhh—I dunno. Comedies are good."

"Ah, that's what I was going to say!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

Roxas laughed. "Hah, that's funny. Anyway, let's go see _this_ one," he said as he pointed to a movie poster. "It's starting in eight minutes! It's perfect!"

"I was just going to suggest that one!"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously!"

"Gosh, this is weird," Roxas breathed. "Are you my long-lost twin?"

Axel furrowed his brows. "Err—say what?"

Roxas burst out laughing. "Nevermind, Volcanohead, nevermind!" He then just skipped off (well, not _literally_ skipped) to the front of the line, since everyone in front of them had bought their tickets.

"Hey, Roxas—get back here!" Axel ordered as he ran after the blond (and this was rather a hard thing to do with crutches, mind you).

However, Roxas simply ignored him. "We'd like two tickets to—"

"Roxas!" Axel finally caught the blond.

"Hey—Volcanohead—need you to pay here. Today is your treat after all, right?"

Roxas suddenly seemed so cute—Axel just decided to ignore how the blond had made fun of him and laughed; at least he was having a good time. Axel smiled as he pulled out the money from his wallet. "Okay, sure."

They paid and entered the movie theater. They both wanted to sit in the same row (middle of the theatre—not too close, not too faraway)—and Roxas was starting to get a tad freaked out how much he had in common with Axel_. It's like I'm in the Twilight Zone or something,_ he thought in horror. As much as it might seem like he was beginning to like Axel now, the fact still remained that Tornadohead still had to get over a few things about Volcanohead to fully accept him.

The movie previews were just about to start, and Roxas was hiding behind his big bucket of popcorn—which towered over him because he was a rather short fellow. Don't give up hope, Roxas; being short can be good sometimes!

Anyway, as Roxas was hiding behind the bucket of popcorn, Axel glanced over him, thinking the boy looked extremely cute, and said, "Hey, Roxas, today's been a really fun day—thanks for spending it with me."

Cue previews.

"What are you talking about, Volcanohead? The day's only starting! We still have plenty of things to do, right?"

A loud explosion on the screen—everyone in the audience was interested in the preview—except for two people. Axel wasn't paying attention to the screen at all, none whatsoever. His full attention was on Roxas at the moment, but he remained silent for now; he was just staring back at the blond, smiling.

Roxas stared up at Axel. He had a really funny expression on his face...just smiling like a big, goofy idiot…for no reason whatsoever. And he never answered his question! The big guffoon! **(2)** "Axel—you alive in there?"

This seemed to do the trick, as Axel snapped out of his stupor. He finally answered Roxas. "I'm just happy you want to spend more time with me, Roxas."

Now it was Roxas' turn to be silent. Apparently now there was a hilarious joke during the next preview—because everyone laughed—but Roxas and Axel were in their own little world. Not a single other soul was around them; it was just the two of them.

They just stared at one another, neither said a word, but Roxas felt extremely awkward all of a sudden.

The previews suddenly stopped, and the movie was just starting; this made Roxas look away, shaking his head and saying, "The movie's starting—we better watch now."

"Uhh...yeah, you're right."

The two were completely silent for half an hour, and did not move or fidget in their seats or look at each other once.

* * *

After a while, Roxas started to grow rather uneasy. He wasn't even able to enjoy the movie at all; he was much too distracted thinking about Axel. Did he upset him? Did he offend him? Was Axel thinking about him? Why were things so awkward suddenly?

_I don't understand _why_ I'm acting so strangely around him lately, nothing's changed, except that we're friends now, I guess,_ he thought. _Friends..._ he repeated the word several more times in thought. _Do I just want to be _friends_?_

"What am I thinking?" Roxas shouted in his thoughts—only, it wasn't in his thoughts—it was out loud. And everyone had heard him. EVERYONE. And this included Axel, of course.

Seeing Axel staring at him made Roxas jump out of his seat and stand up. "I-I...I need a moment." And with that, he bolted out of the theater and sped to the restroom.

"What is going on with me?" Roxas shouted once he got to the restroom. He gripped his head. "I must be going crazy!"

Thankfully, no one was in here with him—or Roxas would have garnered more stares than even before.

"What is happening to me since I met that—that—that _Volcanohead_!" Roxas felt like banging his head against the wall, but—mercifully—he didn't.

"Uh...Roxas?" came a small voice from outside the restroom. Roxas' eyes bugged wide. What was he doing here? "I...uh...was worried about you. Are you feeling okay? Are you sick?"

Roxas took a deep breath. Axel's concern helped his head cool off a little bit. He was beginning to regain his senses. "Uh, yes, I am fine," he managed to get out. "Go on back to the movie—you're missing too much because of me. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"Okay," Axel sighed, hoping Roxas was telling the truth. He left.

Roxas let out a sigh of relief as soon as the redhead was gone. Now—he needed to get back to his thoughts. He was very confused. Very, very confused. Axel had told him he was gay today. He had had no idea. Axel seemed like the jock type—not someone you typically pegged as gay. But then Roxas wondered if he was going by stereotypes too much. Anyone could be gay.

"I could be gay, for goodness' sake," laughed Roxas. Then he stared at the mirror in front of him in horror. "ME?" he gasped. "Don't be ridiculous, Roxas! You've liked plenty of girls before!" And then—a thought occurred to him. He never actually _had_ had a crush on a girl before. "That's just because you haven't met the right one yet," Roxas convinced himself out loud. "Yeah, that's right. I like being friends with Axel—and it's just taken me a little bit to get used to that thought. Yep. That's it. Okay. Time to go back. Now."

Yes—Roxas _was_ talking to himself in a rather disjointed way. Oh, well. What can you do when Tornadohead is turning as oblivious as Volcanohead himself? So Roxas trotted off to return to the theatre...

_I'm glad _that's_ all settled,_ Roxas thought to himself as he sat back down beside Axel.

"Are you okay, Roxas?" Axel whispered to him.

Roxas gave him the thumbs up, a dumb grin spread across his face. Of course, Axel did not notice the goofy, oblivious, and downright _dumb_ expression on Roxas' face. Whatever will I do, having these two _both_ being oblivious. Roxas, how could you?

But—you see—Roxas had convinced himself of something he did not entirely believe. For beyond that dumb, goofy grin lay insecurities about what he was really feeling. And no matter what, Roxas was not prepared to admit it. Never ever ever.

And that was that.

* * *

Roxas and Axel laughed throughout the movie continuously. It was quite good, with many a good joke throughout. Roxas thoroughly enjoyed himself—as did Axel. And finally, it was time for the boys to leave.

"That was a good movie," Axel commented as the credits began to roll. "I really enjoyed it—how 'bout you, Roxas?"

"Yeah, yeah, it was really good. So..." he paused for a moment as everyone around them started filing out of the theatre. It seemed no one wanted to stay for the credits anymore these days. They're just as much a part of the movie, y'know. Anyway, back to Roxas. "...what's next on the agenda for today?"

Axel was a bit taken aback. Apparently, Roxas was not tired of him yet. He smiled slowly—feeling _truly_ happy for the first time in a long, long time. The butterflies began to flutter in his stomach.

"Err...Volcanohead? You alive in there?"

"Yeah, I am," said Axel, shaking his head and grinning. "Anyway, it's 5:30. You wanna go get something to eat?"

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "You must be used to eating dinner awfully early, Volcanohead—but why not? Let's leave, shall we? The movie's done and over."

And it appeared to be so. They were the last two ones in the theatre—the screen was completely black, and the cleaning crew was starting to come in and bustle about.

"Okay, let's go," Axel said with a grin, grabbing Roxas' hand. "C'mon!"

And Roxas didn't even think. He had no complaints. He was just enjoying himself in the marvelous moment. Axel's hand was warm, he was having a great time—and he never wanted this day to end.

* * *

"You have the _absolute_ worst taste in restaurants. Bar NONE."

Roxas could hardly believe it. As if things could POSSIBLY get worse than going to Chuck E. Cheese this morning (Roxas was _still _refusing to admit it was any fun,) he never—he never ever suspected _this._

They were at Hardee's. _**Hardee's. **_

"Dear Lord, I think I just had a heart attack _looking _at the menu."

"Don't worry, Roxas, you can have a salad or something!" chimed Axel cheerfully.

Roxas was not entirely convinced. "I doubt that would be much healthier. Holy damn, how could anyone possibly even eat a burger of that size?" He was staring at the monster thick burger poster.

Axel grinned. "I've eaten five in one sitting before!"

"You have _got _to be joking," said Axel, his mouth gaping.

"Nope! I won a contest, actually!" He beamed—as if it were something to proud about.

"Do you realize each monster burger has over 1,000 calories in each of them?"

"Doesn't really matter with me—I have a super fast metabolism, you know."

"…Of course you do." Roxas sighed, staring up at the menu again. He glanced through, trying to find something that wouldn't send him to the hospital at such a young age.

It was their time to order. Axel ordered a Monster Thick Burger, as well as a large order of fries, a large soda, a chocolate shake, and three apple turnovers (These were _deep-fried, _mind you_.) _Roxas felt like he was going to barf just hearing Axel's order.

"I suppose…I'll take the "Trim It" charbroiled BBQ chicken sandwich, with small fries, and just water to drink."

Roxas was satisfied, hoping that his meal didn't total over 500 calories. Honestly, how on earth could Axel even eat so much?

They went to go sit at a table, waiting for their food. Ten minutes passed by…

"I thought this was supposed to be _fast _food? Why is it taking so long?"

"Because Hardee's has to make all the food extra delicious and it takes a while!"

"…More like pour grease over it and find more ways to make it even _more _fattening," muttered Roxas under his breath. Thankfully, Axel did not hear him.

"Well, while we wait—why don't we talk?" suggested Axel.

"About what?"

"Well, we can discuss all sorts of things. I want to get to know you even better, Roxas. I know I already know a lot about you—and we have a lot in common, so that's really cool. But I want to know _everything_ about you."

Roxas stared, disbelieving, at Axel for the longest time. "Everything…about me?"

"Every single little fact. Leave nothing out," clarified Axel.

"That would take forever!" barked Roxas.

"I have forever to spare."

—"Order 57! Your food's ready!"—

Then again, maybe not.

Axel bounded up to the front counter to grab their food. Roxas sighed as he waited for him. He felt like he was in a bit of a dilemma. He finally was admitting to himself that he really _did _like Axel. He wanted to spend more time with him—he wanted them to be friends.

But his feelings were jumbling up inside him. He didn't quite know what to think. He had never met anyone like Axel before—never. The fact that—despite what had happened to him just two days ago—he was still able to bound around with joy emitting from him just baffled Roxas.

He wanted to try and change—to not be so hard on Axel, and it was slowly beginning to happen. But often when he _wanted _to say something nice—something else would come out that he didn't really mean at all.

But before Roxas could muse any further, Axel had returned. Roxas had to get his cup of water filled, as well as get himself ketchup for his fries. Axel was filling up his large cup with Coke when _it _happened.

Roxas had been trying to get ketchup. They did not have packets to pick up—but you had to squirt it yourself into a little cup. Only, the ketchup squirter looked rather…odd. Questionable, to say the least. Roxas pressed on it—trying to get any ketchup to come out, but it refused. Roxas pressed on the pump a little harder; still, no red condiments emerged. Holding the cup underneath, Roxas began to repeatedly pound the ketchup squirter over and over again—each time putting more efforts in his pounding.

And finally, some ketchup came out—only it did **not** go in the little cup as it was supposed to. It squirted ALL over his green shirt. **(3)** Roxas' left eye twitched. He glanced down at the counter, something black catching his eye. It was the tip of the ketchup pump—someone had apparently removed it from the squirter. He wanted to murder whomever it was.

"Roxas! What happened?"

"Go away, Volcanohead!" roared Roxas as he ran to the restroom.

Oh, this mess! This horrid mess! Roxas was in a tizzy, that was sure. The ketchup was just dripping further down his shirt, and he quickly dabbed at it with paper towels once he got to the restroom.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he swore, "why the hell did this have to happen?"

He quickly wet a paper towel and rubbed at his shirt. It was still a pretty dark stain—red and green did not mix, after all—they were total opposites in the color spectrum.

His shirt was now very wet—but the stain was almost completely gone. Roxas wondered how he could possibly go out there and face Axel with such a wet shirt. He tried to dry off the wetness with paper towels—but it did little good. He sighed.

"Oh, who the hell cares anymore?" he muttered to himself. Well, truth be told, _he_ did. But he wasn't going to let this stupid ketchup get in the way of his day with Axel. Nuh-uh, no siree, Bob. Who was Bob? Roxas honestly had no idea.

So he finally left the bathroom and rejoined the puzzled-looking Axel at their table.

"Roxas, what—"

Roxas held up a hand to stop Axel. "It was just the stupid ketchup pump—it wasn't working properly, and I did not realize this.

"Well…" Axel began tentatively, "I fixed it. You just needed to screw that tip back on. So, I have ketchup for your fries—if you'd like."

Roxas stared at the ketchup incredulously. He now considered it to be his enemy. He no longer trusted it—to put it another way.

"Well, I suppose I could use it. Thank you, Volcanohead."

"You're welcome, Tornadohead!" Axel beamed.

* * *

They were about half-way through eating their dinner, when Axel broke the silence. "Remember, Roxas, I still want to know everything about you."

"How could I possibly tell you all that in one sitting, Volcanohead?"

"Well, I actually had an idea…" Axel began to say as he reached into his pockets, searching for something. He pulled out a little notebook.

"What is this, Volcanohead? Have you finally learned how to write? Are you trying to teach yourself?" Roxas chuckled at his own joke—and then he stopped, because he realized it wasn't very funny or any good for that matter.

"No, you silly," Axel chuckled, beginning to no longer take Roxas' jabs seriously.

And then Roxas read the title of the book painted on the cover in beautiful calligraphy. "Does that say…Axel and Roxas' Friendship Book?"

Axel beamed. "Why yes, yes it does. Isn't it great? I had this lying around in my room, an old journal I never used. And I thought this would be perfect! I'm journaling our friendship, and I thought I could make a section called: The True Facts About Roxas. And I thought I could learn ten new things about you every day! Then I would eventually know _everything _about you!"

Roxas was at a loss for words. No one, in his whole life, had ever seemed to care about him the way Axel did. Well, of course there was…but that was so long ago now…it hardly felt worth mentioning. Roxas shook his head, clearing his head of such old memories.

"You know, I think you're the strangest person I ever met, and I like you, Axel."

Now it was _Axel's _turn to stare. Oh, boy, with all this staring—I don't know _what _to think! "D-do you mean that?" he barely managed to get out; his face was as red as a cherry.

"Yeah, I think I do now," Roxas' own cheeks were tinged pink. "I—uhh—I've never met anyone _quite _like you, Volcanohead." And _that_, ladies and gentlemen, was quite the honest truth.

Axel leaned across the table and captured Roxas in the fourth hug of today. And Roxas really hugged him back. He didn't know quite what was happening to him. But he didn't really mind.

* * *

They were on their way to their next destination. And Axel was happily driving—now that he had gotten his ten facts of the day about Roxas. They were:

1. He now thinks ketchup is evil.

2. He's only 5'5 tall.

3. He wants to own a dog named Lucky someday.

4. His favorite movie is Aladdin.

5. He's allergic to nuts.

6. He loves baseball nearly as much as blitzball.

7. His favorite band is Led Zeppelin.

8. Super Smash Bros. Melee is the greatest video game in the world.

9. He hates mac & cheese.

10. He's deathly afraid of carousels

Axel could not stop laughing about the last one. How could anyone be afraid of that? It was making Roxas extremely indignant. And he was now currently refusing to speak to Axel.

Axel cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Roxas, I don't mean it," he tried to force his laughter away. "I've just never heard of anyone—I mean—uhh—" Axel feared he was getting in more trouble by speaking. He decided to change his tactics. "Erm, well, I'm scared of spiders?" he said questionably, wondering if Roxas was even listening to him.

"You mean to tell me you're scared of such a marvelous, harmless creature?" asked Roxas with a snigger. "You're rather silly, Volcanohead.

"Harmless!" Axel's jaw dropped. "Some are poisonous!"

"Pish, posh," dismissed Roxas.

Axel decided to let it go—after all, it _did _work because he made Roxas not feel so bad about his own fear anymore.

"We're here," Axel announced happily as he parked the car.

Roxas stared. "You bring me to an ice skating rink when it's winter and freezing outside? Are you insane?"

"But Roxas, this is an outdoor rink—and it only makes sense to go in the winter—it's a winter activity."

"The time is in the summer when it's hot!" Roxas groaned. "Oh, well, I guess it couldn't be so bad."

Axel smiled.

Then another thought occurred to Roxas. "How are you going to skate with your injuries?" He raised his eyebrows, staring at the crutches Axel kept in tow.

"Well, I've been feeling better all day today. I'm fine. I honestly don't need these things anymore." Axel tossed them back into the trunk. "C'mon, see? I'm fine."

Roxas didn't look entirely convinced. "If you say so," he shrugged.

So they paid admission, got their rental skates, laced them up, and began walking towards the entrance of the ice. Roxas looked slightly nervous.

"I've never ice skated before—if I kill myself, it's on your head, Volcanohead," Roxas threatened before he stepped out on the ice, clinging to the sidewall for dear life.

Axel merely chuckled. "Okay, but Roxas, it's really easy. I can show you. Do you trust me?" he reached his hand out, looking_ just_ like Aladdin.

"You did that on purpose."

"What if I did? Do you trust me?" Axel repeated, leaning forward again.

"Yes," Roxas said tentatively, just like Jasmine, reaching out his hand to take Axel's.

Wait…if Roxas was Aladdin…did this make Roxas the _girl _in the situation? Roxas felt insulted, but he didn't voice it, because he was worried if he shouted he would end up falling.

"_I can show you the world,_" Axel sang. And surprisingly, he had a pretty nice voice. "_Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, Roxas, now when did you last let your heart decide?"_

"This is so…" Roxas was meaning to the say word "silly" but it never escaped his lips. Somehow, with Axel singing like this, though, it kept him from worrying about falling.

But then next thing he knew, his eyes were covered. Immediately, Roxas felt like he was going to fall over—his entire sense of balance was thrown off and it did _not _feel good. The next moment, his eyes were uncovered, with Axel singing the next line, "_I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder._"

"You know this is just—" Roxas was about to utter the word "ridiculous" but once again, it did not leave his mouth.

Axel pulled him to the side as he sang the next lyrics, "_Over, sideways, and under._" As he sang "under" he pulled Roxas down into a ducking position as they continued to skate. Roxas wasn't even thinking of the ice anymore, only Axel, and how he suddenly seemed to resemble Aladdin so much.

"_On an ice skating rink,_" Axel sang next, of course, making little changes to the song here and there.

Some people stared at them, but Roxas didn't really care. This was the first time in his life he ever felt like he was truly experiencing some magic. It almost seemed like _Disney _magic.

"_A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no or where to go—or say we're only dreaming._" After this, Axel stopped singing. Of course, the next part in the song was Jasmine's part, and so Axel expected Roxas to sing it.

"No way!" he shouted, reading Axel's thoughts. "I do _NOT _sing."

"Fine, you can just think about how slippery this ice is—how much it will hurt when you fall flat on your butt."

Roxas was boiling with anger, although, Axel had a point. Because now that Axel was no loner singing, all he could concentrate on was the ice—and it suddenly seemed _so _much slicker. "You're a rotten cheater and that was a dirty cheap shot. But fine—I'll sing."

He sighed heavily; Axel beamed. He had won!

"_A whole new world,_" Roxas began to sing, feeling very self-conscious; Axel was grinning from ear to ear, and this just made Roxas blush even more than he already was. _"A dazzling place I never knew. But when I'm way up here—it's crystal clear—that now I'm in a whole new world with you."_

"_Now I'm in a whole new world," _Axel echoed, just like in the song.

Roxas never liked singing—he never thought he was very good at it. He had a rather high voice when he sang—he thought it made him sound like a girl. Axel could not keep the grin off his face, however, and this made Roxas wonder if he was any good.

_More likely he's just being idiotic and wouldn't know good singing if it hit him like a ton of bricks, _thought Roxas.

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"_Unbelievable sights—indescribable feeling: soaring, tumbling, freewheeling—through an endless diamond sky."_

Roxas suddenly felt more confident on the ice—like he didn't need to depend on holding Axel's hand so much. Of course, he didn't let go. Not yet, anyway—he wanted to hold on a little bit longer.

"_A whole new world," _began Roxas, covering his eyes out of reflex.

"_Don't you dare close your eyes," _sang Axel, uncovering Roxas' eyes.

"_A hundred thousand things to see," _Roxas continued.

"_Hold your breath; it gets better."_

"_I'm like a shooting star; I've come so far. I can't go back to where I used to be."_

They both waved at a nearby skater that was already struggling. This shocked the person so much that they fell. They both brought their hands to their mouths, feeling bad. Inwardly, Roxas was laughing how utterly and completely this was copying the actual segment of "A Whole New World."

"_A whole new world," _Axel began again.

"_Every turn a surprise," _continued Roxas.

"_With new horizons to pursue," _with this, Axel spun Roxas around slightly.

Roxas giggled.

Wait.

Hold the fort.

We must savor this moment.

Roxas.

Giggled.

-Wait five moments-

All right, we may continue on with the story.

"_Every moment, red-letter," _Roxas continued, still feeling rather giddy.

Axel and Roxas both sang the next part in the song, "_I'll chase them anywhere; there's no time to spare—let me share this whole new world with you…"_

"_A whole new world," _Axel sang.

"_A whole new world," _Roxas echoed.

"_That's where we'll be," _Axel continued.

"_That's where we'll be," _Roxas repeated.

"_A thrilling chase."_

"_A wondrous place."_

"_For you and meeeeeeeee," _they sang together, extending the final note for a long time.

Roxas could not look at Axel. He was able to do it when they were singing, but he no longer could stomach it. His face was beat red, and he was burning up. He was so embarrassed; he dare not even speak. He really _did _feel like he was in a whole new world. He did not know what to think anymore. What was this awful—but oddly nice –feeling in the pit of his stomach? Before he could ponder his thoughts any longer, Axel spoke up.

"That was fun, huh, Roxas? Now I bet you're not nervous about skating!"

And, well, _that _did it. Roxas immediately fell on his backside. _Hard._

"Dammit!" he yelled as he hit the hard, cold ice.

Only, he didn't realize he had taken Axel with him. After all, they were still holding hands.

"A-Axel?" he stuttered, shocked to see the redhead beside him on the ice. "Why didn't you let go?"

Axel blinked, staring at Roxas as if this were a stupid question. "I'd never let go of you, Roxas," he stated plainly and simply.

As if Roxas' face weren't already red enough—it got even redder after that statement. "Really?" was all he managed to utter.

"Really," assured Axel, smiling. "Now let's get you up before your butt sticks to the ice."

This managed to make Roxas laugh. Axel merely grinned.

The two enjoyed themselves for the rest of the time they skated. There were a few more falls here and there, but overall, it was a rather successful endeavor.

* * *

After the two had had their fill of skating, they unlaced their skates, returned them, and headed back to the car.

"Is there anything else for the evening or are we wrapped up, now?" asked Roxas once he buckled his seatbelt.

"Oh, I have two more things sort of planned. But they'll kinda happen at once—if that makes any sense." Axel laughed. "We'll be there soon; don't worry, I'll have you back at a decent hour."

"I don't really care," said Roxas, grinning with euphoria left over from when Axel said, "I'd never let you go." And it was true—the rest of the time they skated, no matter which boy fell down, they never let go of one another's hands. "I've had a really great time today," he admitted to Axel. "Despite the fact that you tried to poison me with that awful Chuck E. Cheese pizza, and took me to Hardee's. The rest was pretty great; despite the fact that you tried to kill me on ice. Yeah, it was nice."

Axel grinned. This sounded so much like a typical Roxas response. It made him very happy. "Roxas, I l—" Axel suddenly stopped, his eyes bugged wide. He immediately coughed very loudly several times to cover up what he was about to say.

"Did you say something, Volcanohead?" Roxas asked, looking slightly suspicious.

"No, no, nothing, just—err—coughing a bit. That's all. Anyway, come on, we're here, let's get out."

Axel quickly parked; wanting to make sure Roxas did not question what he said any further. Had he really just been about to say such a thing? He couldn't possibly… But he did really… Could he?

"So, what are we here for?" asked Roxas, stepping out of the car.

Axel shook his head of the thoughts, and next moment they were gone. Yes, Axel is that forgetful. Someone really needs to get it through to him. Seriously.

"Ah! Right! Walk with me here a bit aways."

So Roxas followed Axel. It turned out they were going to a hot chocolate hut.

"Why couldn't we just go through the Starbucks drive-thru?" questioned Roxas, wondering why Axel was forcing him to stay out in the cold after they had just spent time at a cold skating rink.

"Psssh. You think _that's _hot chocolate? Silly Tornadohead, you have not even tasted hot chocolate until you taste this!"

"Why, hello, Axel, it's been a while since we've seen you, dear," said an elderly woman, opening the door to the hot chocolate hut.

"Auntie Abigail!" Axel cried with joy. "Is Uncle Waldo here?"

"Why, of course, dear, he's inside, brewing up a great batch of hot chocolate as we speak. Why don't you take your friend inside? It's mighty chilly out here," she suggested with a warm smile.

Axel smiled as well, giving her a hug. He motioned for Roxas to follow him. "Roxas, this is my—well, she's not _technically _my aunt, but she's practically family, so yeah. Aunt Abigail, and she's married to Uncle Waldo. You'll get to meet him, too!"

"It's lovely meeting you, Roxas, dear. So I assume you're a friend of Axel's? Why, he hasn't brought any other friends here besides that Riku fella. I haven't seen him in a while…"

"Ah, he's really busy," answered Axel.

"I see," said Abigail as she shook Roxas' hand. "Now hurry up and get your hot chocolate and sugar plums!"

"Sugar…plums?" Roxas asked, arching an eyebrow once they were inside.

"Yeah, well, they sell chocolate-covered marshmallows that have sprinkles on them on sticks…they call them sugar plums. Don't know why; but they're _awesome!_" **(4)**

"Okay, whatever you say, Volcanohead," said Roxas with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Uncle Waldo!" Axel beamed as he greeted the man behind the counter. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too, Axel! And who's your friend here?"

"This is Roxas," Axel explained. "I'm here to show him what _real _hot chocolate is like." Axel laughed. "So we'd like two large peppermint hot chocolates with the mugs, and two sugar plums."

"All right, lad."

Axel began to pull out his wallet, but Waldo stopped him.

"It's on the house tonight, sonny. We haven't seen you in so long. Come around more often, y'hear?"

"I sure will," agreed Axel with a smile.

Their hot chocolate was ready very quickly. There was whipped cream on top, red and green sugar sprinkles, and a candy cane was sticking out of the mug. It looked very…_festive_. Well, that's what Roxas thought, anyway.

"Sorry, Uncle Waldo, but we gotta be heading off! I have something else planned for tonight!" Axel ran out with a wave, Roxas quickly following behind him.

_For a guy that was just depending on crutches…he sure did recover quickly, _thought Roxas, barely managing to keep up.

"How much further are we going to walk, you dumb Volcanohead?" complained Roxas. After all, he still had to get in some insults sometimes—even if they _were_ friends now.

"We're almost there," Axel answered.

"My hot chocolate's going to get cold—why won't you let me drink it?"

"Because it needs to be the most special for your first time! Anyway, Uncle Waldo always makes it so hot that you need to wait five minutes before drinking just so you won't burn your tongue."

"That's uh…reassuring," Roxas commented, glancing down at his mug of hot chocolate. He noticed that, indeed, there was still steam billowing out of it.

"We're here," Axel finally announced.

They were in a forest, thus there were many trees around them, but Axel had taken them to a clearing where there were some tree stumps in a circular formation

"This is my secret spot," he announced. "My mom and I used to come to Uncle Waldo'sall the time when I was little. And…well…I would often wander off, and I found it here one day. It's _magical _here," he continued, whispering, "nothing can hurt you here."

And even though it was very dark, Roxas could see the slightest twinge of sadness on Axel's face. And it made his heart break.

"So, to conclude our awesome, super-duper adventure date, (_Date! _thought Roxas.) I wanted to bring you to my secret spot! Do you like it here?" And the smile full of joy was once more on Axel's lips.

And Roxas couldn't stop staring at him. He quickly shook his head, trying to think of a response. "Yeah, it's great, Volcanohead, magical, yes."

Axel's smile grew wider. "I'm so glad you like it! C'mon!"

He grabbed Roxas' hand and took him over to such a large stump it was big enough for both of them to sit on it. "You may now drink your hot chocolate and eat your sugar plum—but I would suggest you look up at the stars as you do so. This is the best clearing to see them—and they're so beautiful."

Roxas' cheeks tinted, and he decided to go ahead and sip his hot chocolate. _By damn, _he thought, _this _IS _good!_

"Wow…" he breathed. "This is amazing!"

"Told you," gloated Axel. "Isn't it just the best cup of hot cocoa you've ever tasted?"

"I believe it is, Volcanohead."

_I just wish this day could go on forever, _thought Roxas.

_I wish this day could last forever, _thought Axel.

They both sat in silence for a couple minutes, sipping their hot chocolate and gazing up at the stars.

Despite feeling warm from the hot cocoa, Roxas began to shiver slightly. Axel noticed this. Next thing Roxas knew, he was having a scarf tied around his neck.

"Here, take this," Axel offered. "I don't need it."

Well, Roxas might have been slightly cold before, but his face heated up instantly. "Uh-uh-uh," he stuttered. "Don't you need it?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'd much rather you have it, Tornadohead," he said with a grin.

The scarf was so big, it covered the bottom half of Roxas' face, and he felt like he was nestled in blankets. More silence passed by, but Roxas just kept going over the last exchange in his head over and over again.

"Oh!" Axel broke the silence. All of their hot chocolate was gone now, as were their sugar plums. "I nearly forgot!"

I told you Axel is forgetful.

"What?" Roxas questioned.

"Remember, I told you I had two things left planned."

"But I thought that was the hot chocolate and the secret spot?"

"No, that was just one," Axel explained. He was busily fishing around in his pockets for something. It took him about a minute, but he finally found what he was looking for. "Aha!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Axel pulled out a very small package. It was wrapped in red wrapping paper, and had a miniature green bow on top. There was a small tag attached that said: "To Roxas."

He held it out towards Roxas for the younger boy to take. However, Roxas just stared at him.

"You…what is that?" he asked, blinking.

"It's a present, of course. It's to commemorate our day together and our new friendship," answered Axel, beaming.

"A gift…for me…?"

"Yes, I believe I just said that."

"No one's ever bought me a gift like this before. I mean…it's not even Christmas yet. Are you high?" Roxas questioned suspiciously.

"Of course not, you silly," Axel laughed. "Now go on and open it."

Roxas, still looking quite suspicious, began to slowly unwrap the gift. He made sure to open it very carefully; he didn't want to rip any of the paper, after all. When it was completely unwrapped, Roxas stared down at the present for a long time, not speaking.

It was a keychain. It was carved out of wood, and etched into the wood were the outlines of both of Axel's and Roxas' heads. Underneath their heads were these words carved: _Axel and Roxas—friends forever._

"Turn it around!" beckoned Axel.

Roxas did so, and carved on the other side was the shape of a volcano and a tornado, and it said: _Volcanohead and Tornadohead._

He could not. Roxas simply could not. He had to be silent to contain his emotions. No one had ever done something like this for him. Ever. "Did you…make this?" Roxas barely managed to choke out.

"Yep!" he answered cheerfully. "Took me a long time doing it, but I got it done in time! Had to stay up quite late last night finishing it. But it was definitely worth it. Do you like it?" He smiled hopefully.

"I love it," breathed Roxas quietly. He had no other words to say about it, he could barely speak at the moment.

But that was enough for Axel. "Really? Oh, I'm so happy!" And he pulled the boy in for the seventh hug they had shared today. Roxas was growing quite accustomed to these.

"Yeah, really. Thank you." And Roxas earnestly meant it. There was nothing biting for him to say, no scathing remark for him to spit at Axel. It was simply and utterly perfect.

"All right, now, the very last part of our super-duper awesome day together is that before we leave—you have to make a wish here. Your wishes always come true when you make them in the secret spot. It's magical here, remember?"

Roxas stared at Axel. Well, he wasn't going to let _that _one slide. He arched an eyebrow. "Make a wish? Seriously? You still believe in childish things like that, Volcanohead?"

"Yes, seriously! And it's not childish, Roxas. I refuse to take you home until you make a wish, kapeesh?

Roxas grumbled. "All right, fine." He closed his eyes, sincerely thinking. Could he really possibly? He wasn't sure…

_Oh, what the hell, _he thought, and he then made his wish.

"Done?" Axel asked when Roxas opened his eyes.

"Yep." Roxas started to stand up and head back towards the car.

"What'd you wish for?"

Roxas stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious, Volcanohead? You can _never _tell someone what you wished for! Or else it might not come true!"

Axel laughed. "I guess you're right. Hey, Roxas, wait for me!"

Roxas was way ahead of him, ready to get back—and to make sure Axel didn't notice his furiously blushing face.

* * *

They were finally back at Destiny Orphanage. It was time to say goodnight—after an extremely long (and adventurous) day.

"Well," began Axel sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "I guess this is goodnight."

Axel was standing at the bottom of the steps, and Roxas was halfway up. Roxas was at eye level with Axel, then.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

Suddenly, everything felt so awkward all of a sudden. How were they supposed to say goodnight?

"I had a fun time," began Axel, trying to prompt Roxas…perhaps.

"M-me too," the blond agreed. "Really. Thank you so much for today, I never expected that when I agreed to spend today with you it would end up like this." He laughed. "But I still haven't forgiven you for Hardee's—or the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese." He smiled.

Axel grinned. "Okay. G'night, Tornadohead."

And he was turning to leave, when Roxas called out for him to come back.

"Wait!"

Axel turned around.

Roxas wasn't quite sure what to say. "Err…"

So he stepped down one step and pulled Axel into a hug. He held on tightly. Warmth enveloped Roxas. He never wanted to let go.

Axel just continued to hug him back as long as Roxas did.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, Roxas decided he needed to let go or it would get ridiculous.

"Okay, uhh...g'night, Axel." He wasn't looking at Axel, his gaze was on the snow-covered steps instead.

"G'night, Roxas," said Axel with a smile, turning away and finally leaving.

As Axel walked down the stairs and began his trek home, he could not stop smiling. He literally could not stop. Today had been absolutely perfect. He didn't even know Roxas could possibly be so nice as he was today. It had been perfect!

"Just...perfect," Axel sighed dreamily.

Meanwhile, Roxas had just entered Destiny Orphanage and closed the door quietly behind him. It was so late now no one was downstairs. He leaned back against the door. His knees gave out from under him, and he slowly slid down to the floor.

_No, _he thought_. I can't. I just can't. It won't work. I can't possibly... Not after last time. How could I possibly?_

"I can't; not again," Roxas stated as he managed to find the strength to stand up. He barely was able to walk up the stairs, but he made the trek and managed to make it to his bed and collapse onto the mattress.

"It hurt too much before," he whispered to himself.

But even though Roxas didn't want to admit it—or accept it. He was slowly starting to fall in love.

He was falling for Axel.

* * *

**1 – **I had no idea how many they could possibly have for the stuff they got—so I just said like a million. xD

**2 – **Guffoon is the word I made up for when you are a buffoon _and _a goof! A rather complicated matter, mind you.

**3 – **This actually happened to me at Hardee's. It was not my choice to go there, I was dragged—and getting the ketchup it squirted alllll over my green shirt. It was a miserable day.

**4 – **At my ice skating rink, we have The Nutcracker On Ice every Christmas, and they always sell peppermint hot chocolate and what they call "sugar plums." It is exactly as I

described it. c:

Sorry if Roxas seemed kinda bipolar in how treats Axel in this chappy…it's just kinda how he is. =/ Also, we will eventually find out what he wished! Eventually—all in good time, of course. ;D

**Next chapter: **Axel visits Roxas at work, Riku helps Yuffie do…something, and Riku takes a great fall.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Don't forget to leave me lovely **reviews **to tell me how it was! Until next time, on AUG! (:


	12. Here Without You

Hi! This took a little longer to get out than I thought it would…sorry about that! I've had a lot going on, geez. I already have the next chapter written, though! And part of 14!

**Summary:** Riku's mom signs him up to help out with an orphanage around the Christmas holiday. Riku groans at the idea; he doesn't want to do it. But when we meets a brunet there that is "special" his life is turned upside down.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters, but I own the story. c:

**Warning:** This fic will contain **shonen-ai** (boyxboy love). If you do not care for boyxboy love, I suggest you leave. This fic will also contain **language**.

**Reviews: **Well, I got some, but it's to be expected…most of the people that originally read this aren't on FF anymore, I think. But IF YOU'RE NEW PLEASE REVIEW! It really means a lot to me and gives me inspiration! Also, I **WOULD LOVE TO REACH 300 REVIEWS!**

**A/N: **The chapter title refers to AkuRoku here…also, for those wondering, I've come up with theme songs for the characters/couples:

Riku: "Wherever You Will Go" - The Calling

Sora: "Oh My Love" - John Lennon

RikuxSora - "Stolen" - Dashboard Confessional

Roxas: "Ache" - James Carrington

Axel: "Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx

AkuRoku: "Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down

Zemyx: "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol

Cleon: "Fighting For My Love" - Nil Lara

RenoxKadaj: "Somewhere Only We Know" - Keane

It would be cool if you listened to the songs while reading the story! :D

* * *

An Unexpected Gift - Chapter 12. Here Without You

-o-

_"Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks._ - **Samuel Johnson**

* * *

Riku thought yesterday had been remotely uneventful. Well…a few things _had_ occurred.

He and Reno had gotten into another fight. It was all Reno's fault, really—Riku was not to be blamed.

Reno continued to go on and on and on about how Riku was in love, still. And this was quite annoying Riku. He thought they had come to an understanding during the paint war. He grabbed one of the sponges in the kitchen and tossed it straight into Reno's hair. And then the _real _war began.

Because Reno claimed that he had perfect hair—and Riku objected to that claim—saying his wasn't _nearly _the best. Though when Reno asked Riku to elaborate on _whom _the title of best hair belonged to, he refused.

_It's Sora, _Riku thought. But of course, he would never utter those words aloud. Most certainly not.

Besides _that _fiasco with the redhead. Something much, _much _more dreadful happened. He had walked in…on Cloud and Leon. Riku could not believe it—he simply could not. He had stood there—his mouth wide open—gaping at the two for a minute or two, before he finally had the sense to shut the door.

He thinks he might have gone blind due to the incident.

Yuffie caught him not long after this incident—so Riku was very unresponsive. She asked him if he would do something with her the next day. He nodded his head slowly—not taking in a single word she had said. She beamed and cheered about her plans.

Now Riku was curious as to what he had signed himself up to. Oh, well. It couldn't _possibly _be worse than painting. No sirree, nothing was worse than that.

Xemnas and Marluxia had been their typical selves, driving Riku crazy. And he knew Larxene was up to something. He had found a long piece of parchment with: "The Master Plan" etched on it. Riku could not read any further of it before Larxene snatched the parchment away with a scowl.

And last, but not least—there had been his times with Sora yesterday. He was still trying to get the boy to open up to him. After all, he wanted to make sure Sora was able to function without he himself always being around. Yes, he wanted to help him—he wanted to help him more than anything. He was so glad that he was helping him already—helping him talk and staring to feel a little confident in himself again.

He had been scared and confused—that was as much as he had gotten out of the boy before Sora changed the subject again. So, Riku attempted very subtly to bring up the subject again—only to be shot down by Sora immediately.

_For crying out loud, _he had thought. _I'll never get him to talk to me!_

But, in reality, Sora was talking much more in general—he just didn't necessarily want to talk about his feelings so explicitly as Riku wanted him to. But Riku figured he would have to take it slow.

But this morning, he woke up in a determined state. He was going to get to the bottom of this—no matter what! What was Sora feeling confused about?

If only Riku knew.

* * *

Axel hardly slept a wink last night. It was true. He simply could not get himself calmed down enough to sleep—his mind kept racing, his thoughts swirled with hot chocolate, popcorn, and Tornadohead. He had a silly grin slapped on his face the whole time. He looked like a fool in love.

But Axel was not entirely aware of his feelings yet. He had questioned some of his thoughts yesterday, but he did not go into them in further detail. He figured he was just happy to be having a good time again and spending it with Roxas, whom he was growing more attached to with every passing day.

Yesterday had been positively perfect. There was no other word for it. Axel just wanted to go back and revisit it over and over and over. After all, Roxas had his job today, so he would unfortunately not see too much of the blond today.

Realizing this halfway through the night was the other reason Axel could not sleep. It made him quite sad to think he wouldn't be able to see much of Roxas. He was giving Riku a run for his money in the best friend department.

"Agh, I wanna see Roxas!" Axel groaned at 5:57 A.M. Yes, he had it bad.

He did not quite realize it yet, though, so don't spoil it for him, hm?

Not getting much rest, Axel finally decided to just get up and eat some breakfast at 7:30. After all, he wanted to hurry up and get to Destiny Orphanage. Perhaps he could catch Roxas before he went off to his job? He thought Roxas' job started at 9:30, so maybe…

"G'morning, dear," Lyla greeted as he came down the stairs. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Axel replied. 1. Not having the heart to tell her, 2. He felt like he didn't even need sleep, anyway—he just needed Roxas, so he felt like he got a good rest.

"That's good."

They ate their breakfast in relative silence. The big goofy grin had found its way back onto Axel's face.

"What are you grinning about so much for?" his mother asked, smiling. She was curious, but she was glad to see her son in such good spirits…considering everything that had happened recently.

"Wha?"

"You have a huge grin on your face, Axel," she stated again. Yes, Axel _was _that thick.

"I do?"

"Yes."

"Oh…uh…I dunno. I'm just really looking forward to going to the orphanage today," he answered.

Lyla did not yet know about Roxas or the huge impact he had made on her son's life. But she knew there was _something _going on. After all, she was not as oblivious as her son (heaven forbid!)

"Oh? So you're really enjoying it, hm?"

"Yes," was Axel's quick reply. He was not entirely sure why his mother was engaging him in such conversation. He wanted to hurry and make it in time to see Roxas off for work.

_Oh my gosh, _he had a sudden realization in thought. _I sounds like I'm the 1950s housewife wanting to kiss my husband goodbye before he goes off to work._

Before Axel could ponder such thoughts any further, his mother spoke again.

"So, what are you enjoying the most?"

Axel was completely taken aback by this. He then noticed the slightly mischievous grin on his mother's lips. _She knows!_ he thought in horror. _She knows about Roxas! But how? _"Errrr…" Axel was at a loss for words.

His mother glanced at the clock. "Oh, well, Axel, you better be off, dear. You don't want to miss your bus, after all."

Axel looked at the time as well. "Crap!" he exclaimed, quickly standing up, stuffing one more piece of French toast into his mouth. "Mi botta mo!" he said with a full mouth before exiting the premises. (Translation: "I gotta go!")

Lyla shook her head after he was gone; she smiled. "I just hope he doesn't end up getting hurt."

* * *

So, today was the day Riku was going to find out more about Sora! Yes! He was determined! Positively determined! He went downstairs, greeting everyone as he made his way to the kitchen.

Reno was bugging Kadaj as he was cleaning up after making breakfast. When the redhead spotted Riku, he determinedly turned his head the other way, ignoring the silver-haired teen entirely. This did not bother Riku one bit, mind you. Reno was asking for it, and if he weren't more careful in the near future, the anger meter would explode and he would be buried six feet under.

Aerith smiled when she saw Riku. "Good morning, Riku. Sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks," he said as he took the tray of food from her. "I'll see ya later!" he called, waving goodbye as he went out the door in a flash.

"Are you two still not talking to each other?" Kadaj questioned Reno.

"I do not talk to people that refuse to acknowledge my hair is the best."

"But, Reno, it isn't the best…"

Reno gaped at Kadaj. He had not! He did not just! Reno clenched his fists at his sides, fuming. "That's it! I am no longer speaking to anyone in this orphanage that has silver hair!" he declared and stamped out of the room.

"Oh, dear," said Aerith softly, looking concerned.

Kadaj dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about him, Aerith. He just has some issues to work through."

"If you say so…"

Riku ran up the stairs, a smile finding its way upon his face. "I'm back!" he announced once he entered the room.

"Hi, Riku!" greeted the brunet enthusiastically; Riku grinned in response.

They began to eat their breakfast, being silent for the most part. Riku didn't even mind the silence—he just liked being with Sora. He felt so comfortable and wonderful and everything was amazing.

_Hahaha, Riku, some of your thoughts make me laugh so, _laughed the voice.

_You again? _Riku screeched in thought. _Don't you dare mess up my time with Sora!_

_But Riku, darling, how many times do I have to tell you that I—_

_I know, I know, that you _are_ me, _Riku finished for him. _So frickin' what? Like I give a damn!_

_Oh, my, Riku, you must watch your language. Sora is rather innocent, you know._

_But _you_ aren't._

_Of course now, I am you, after all. _The voice laughed again.

Riku was getting seriously annoyed now. _What is it? _he barked in thought. _Usually when you come around it's to taunt me about something—so what is it now, dare I even ask?_

_Oh, but Riku…I merely wanted to come here to tell you to please stop bothering poor, darling Reno._

_That bastard! Yeah, right! Why the hell should I?_

_Because he is right, Riku. You are, in fact, in love with someone. You are simply too dumb to realize this little fact._

_As if! You and Reno are in this together! Why on earth should I listen to you, you stupid voice?_

_How many times must I tell you, Riku? Because I am—_

"Will you just stop it!" Riku screeched in thought; only, it wasn't actually _in _his thoughts. He had shouted aloud—and Sora was staring at him in disbelief.

"You want me to stop eating, Riku?" questioned the brunet, cocking his head to the side.

Riku's eyes bugged wide, looking horrified. He could not believe he had just said that aloud! Had he really? Oh, what Sora must think of him now!

_I'm screwed! _Riku thought.

_That, indeed, you _are, _Riku. At least you thought something correctly today._

Riku ignored the voice and turned towards Sora. "So sorry, Sora! I don't know what I was saying…I guess I sort of voiced my thoughts aloud. And I know that's really freaky and everything and I'm such a big freak you probably won't even want to call me your friend anymore and it's too weird and I'm too weird and the world is doomed and I don't even know what I'm talking about right now I just wish I would go ahead and—"

But Riku was interrupted during his spieling rant because Sora burst out laughing. Louder than he had ever heard the other boy laugh, that was for sure. Riku stared at the brunet, wondering what was just so darn funny.

"Errr…" was Riku's response.

Sora covered a hand over his mouth, attempting to stifle his giggles, but it was to no avail. "I'm sorry—hahaha—Riku, you're so—hahaha—darn funny—hahaha—I don't even know what to say—hahaha!"

Riku continued to stare at the boy, somewhat shocked. "So you're not weirded out by me, then?"

"Of course not, silly!" Laughter was still escaping his perfect lips.

_Wait…did I just think Sora has perfect lips?_ Riku questioned in thought.

_Oh, Riku I have no words! I give up! I'm going on a vacation! See you next chapter! Hopefully you'll have more sense by then! _said the voice with a _poof _and he was gone.

_What the hell? _thought Riku. _Next chapter? What on earth is he going on about? _Riku shrugged his shoulders. _Oh, well. At least he's gone for now!_

Most of Sora's laughter had vanished, as had their food, but he still had a grin on his face. This made Riku smile as well.

"Hey, Sora, I was thinking today we could probably—"

"Oh, no you don't, buster!" Yuffie seemed to appear out of nowhere, slapping Riku on the back. "Don't you _dare_ forget that you agreed to help _me _out today! Are you volunteering here or what, boy?"

"Oh, snap, I forgot, Yuffie!" He still did not remember what he had agreed to. "But Yuffie, pleeeease let me spend the day with Sora…" he whined.

"Riku, don't whine, that is pathetic," Yuffie ordered. "Anyway, Sora, what do you think he should do?"

Sora looked a bit confused at being suddenly asked a question like this, but he answered. "Well, Riku, Yuffie's right here. You agreed to help her and you should—don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I feel like drawing a bit today, anyway." He smiled up at Riku.

Riku was not entirely convinced, but he did feel like he had to stand by his word. Though Sora made him nervous ever since he had gotten sick that one day…he still wanted to get the boy to open up to him more.

"Fine," he grumbled, "I'll help you out."

"Yay!" cheered Yuffie as she glomped him. "Hurrah! Huzzah! Hooray!" she continued to chant as she headed towards the door. She was closing it behind her, but she popped in once more to say one more thing, "Oh, and Riku darling," she began.

"Yes?" questioned Riku, feeling suddenly concerned now.

"I expect you to be ready to help me at 1:00 after lunch, all right?

"Sure thing."

"Okay, goodbye now, darling Riku! And buh-bye, Sora!"

And then she was gone.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch, okay? I better go ask Cloud what he wants me to do today before Yuffie takes advantage of me. And you'll show me all your wonderful drawings later, right, Sora?"

Riku had picked up the tray of empty dishes and was already at the door.

Sora smiled, nodding. "Sure I will, Riku."

"Great!"

And with that, Riku was gone.

Secretly, Sora did not really want to show Riku all of his drawings—for the last few days—all his pictures had been consumed by Riku. It seemed he could no longer draw anything else.

* * *

Axel was pissed. And not just the slightly-annoyed-kinda-upset-want-to-kick-a-can-kinda pissed off mood. He was in the I-want-to-tear-a-tree-apart-limb-from-limb-kinda pissed off mood. Yeah, it was that bad.

He had missed Roxas.

By only one minute.

Yep, Rinoa had told him. He could not believe it. It made him so depressed he had to sink into a chair and sit there for ten minutes before he recovered.

He really…wanted to see Roxas.

* * *

Roxas wasn't quite sure what to do. He was glad he had missed Axel on his way out this morning. He wasn't quite sure how he could act around the redhead without it being awkward.

Even though Roxas _knew _why he was suddenly feeling so awkward around Axel (he no longer could really deny such feelings) he had not yet _fully_ accepted his feelings entirely.

But he was falling in love with him. No doubt about that.

However, Roxas held the silly belief (and in here came the not-fully-accepting-part) that if he distanced himself from Axel, his feelings would go away.

After all, Roxas never wanted to fall in love. Not again. Not after the first time. He couldn't bare it.

Roxas had never pegged himself as gay, but the matter at hand was that both people he had happened to fall in love with were boys. He didn't think much of it the first time, stating, "Love is love, whatever way it goes. Doesn't mean I'm gay."

But then Axel came along. And at first, the redhead drove him crazy. The silly Volcanohead that followed him around everywhere. But then he started to…warm up to Axel. He wasn't quite entirely sure when it began to happen, but his feelings slowly began to change.

And eventually he fell in love with the boy. It really shone through yesterday when they spent the day together, but he really fell in love with the redhead the day he visited him at the hospital. The thought of Axel being hurt at all—had terrified Roxas. It tugged at his heartstrings when he saw him there in that hospital bed all beaten up and abused by his own father. He didn't know what he would have done had something even worse happened to Axel.

Despite all of this—Roxas still wanted to distance himself. He didn't want to stay away from the redhead but he felt he must—before he fell even in deeper to the point where he could not return.

So, Roxas was stuck at work. Usually he hated it here, and couldn't wait to get back home to Destiny Orphanage. However, today he was thoroughly relieved to be here so he wouldn't have to worry about meeting up with Volcanohead.

_Although, _he thought, _I suppose I _will _see him when I get back home today. I'll simply have to act cool, that's all. What on earth has that stupid Volcanohead done to me?_

"Mr. Xigbar!" came a cry to his left. "Roxas is dawdling on the job again!"

"Quiet, YOU!" shouted Roxas.

"Will you all quit and let me return to "General Hospital" already!" came a shout from Xigbar's office.

Roxas was now wondering if he rather would be back home with Axel.

* * *

Itwas lunchtime at the orphanage, and Riku couldn't wait to see Sora again. He felt like he was walking on cloud nine…

…although Yuffie had to go and ruin it for him later.

When he entered the door to the teens' room, Riku smiled happily when he noticed Sora was, indeed, sketching in his sketchpad. He grinned from ear to ear as he walked over to the brunet's bed.

"Hey, Sora, it's lunchtime…what'cha drawin'?"

"N-nothing," sputtered Sora as he quickly hid away his sketchpad.

"What? Why can't I see it?" Riku frowned.

Sora stared at Riku for a moment, he then groaned and handed Riku his sketchpad. "Fine."

Riku grinned triumphantly—feeling as though he had just won. He looked down at the sketchpad, surprised to see his own face smiling back up at him.

"Did you draw this from memory?" Riku asked after a moment of staring at the drawing.

"…Yeah," answered Sora sheepishly, blushing like mad.

"You are so talented, Sora!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! And I'm not just saying that because you drew such a handsome fella as myself," said Riku, grinning.

"Oh, Riku, you're so silly," said Sora, laughing.

The two began to eat, Riku flipping through Sora's sketchpad the entire time and commenting on his accuracy.

"You really caught my eyes in this one," he said, "and look how nice you my muscles look here! Quite accurate, if I do say so myself." He grinned.

Sora grinned back up at him. "Riku, y'know, you're kinda cocky."

"Erk!" Riku exclaimed in shock. Had Sora just said what he thought he had? But—you know—Riku had to act calm; keep his cool. He couldn't let Sora see him acting like a buffoon. Not like he hadn't seen him act like that many times already…

He cleared his throat, and spoke again. "Well, y'know, one can't help themselves when they're as good-looking as I am."

Sora giggled. "Oh, Riku, you did _not _just say that." He couldn't help it—he began to laugh even more.

Riku was baffled—completely taken aback. Was he acting that much like a fool?

"Am I being silly?" Riku asked seriously.

"No, Riku, you're just being you," said Sora, the remnants of his laughter disappearing.

"Just…being me?"

"Yes."

"Is that a good thing?"

"That's the best thing in the world."

Riku's heart melted. Literally. It went a-fluttering to the point to where it could no longer take it and it actually melted. Riku had the sudden urge to grab Sora and pull him into a bone-crushing hug.

And he did just that.

It was at that precise moment that a certain raven-haired girl burst into the room.

"The fuuuuun has ariiiiiiiiived! Thank you very much!" she declared.

She suddenly noticed the two boys; a devilish grin spread across his face. "Oh…am I interrupting something, dearest Riku?"

Riku pulled away from Sora at the speed of light. "N-no!" he stammered.

"Oh, oh, _oh, _why do you deny it so, Riku? Surely that means something _was _happening."

"No, not at all."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Riku coughed.

Yuffie shrugged and finally said, "Welp, if you say so. _Anyway, _Riku, it is time for you to help me, y'know!"

"Right, right," Riku said, defeated. He really, really, _really_ just wanted to stay with Sora. But after all, he had (or his mother had, anyway) signed up to volunteer here…so he had to do what Yuffie wanted. She was one of the ones in charge, after all.

"Do I detect a bit of reluctance, dearest Riku?"

"No, Yuffie," said Riku, smiling now, "I really want to help."

"GREEEEAT! Then c'mon!"

She grabbed Riku's hand, pulled him harshly, and dragged him out the door like a bolt of lightning.

Riku stared, blinking at the spot Riku had just been. It all happened so quickly…

But Sora smiled; happy knowing that soon Riku would be back again. And he would get to know the silver-haired teen even better.

* * *

Lunch was past, and Axel was helping clean the dishes and put the kitchen back in order. Rinoa was the only other one helping him—the others were busy doing other things.

"So, Axel, you seemed to have gotten pretty close to Roxas lately."

"What?" barked Axel.

Rinoa laughed. "No need to worry, Axel, I meant it as a good thing. You know, I'm really glad…because Roxas hasn't been close to someone for a long time. He doesn't really get along with the other kids here…I'm glad he has a friend in you now."

Even though he didn't want it to, moisture stung at his eyes. He quickly dabbed at them with his sleeve. He cleared his throat. "Th…thank you; that means a lot."

"But you know…I wasn't finished. I was going to say…oh, blast it, now what was I going to say?" Rinoa set down a plate on the counter harder than she needed to. "Oh, oh right! Well, things aren't too bad here today…I was going to suggest why don't you go and visit Roxas? I'm sure it'll perk up his day as much as it will perk up yours."

Axel nearly teared up again. "You mean it? I can go visit him? Oh, thank you so much, Rinoa!" And with that, he enveloped her in a bear hug.

He let go and stared heading for the door, crying out, "Thank you thank you thank you!" as he left.

Rinoa grinned, laughing to herself as she watched his retreating form. "I really hope he turns out to be the one for Roxas…especially after…"

Axel trotted all the way outside, prepared to head to the bus stop…when he realized…he didn't even know where Roxas worked! So, he quickly marched back inside to ask Rinoa. With this newfound information intact, he boarded the bus that would take him closest to the supermarket Roxas worked at.

* * *

"NO. ABOSULTELY NOT. YUFFIE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I HATE YOU. WHY DO YOU HATE ME? HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO ALL THIS? NO. NONONONONONONONO. _**NO.**_"

"Oh, Riku, why so objective? Guh-eeze!" Yuffie huffed Then, she pouted. And believe me, nothing looked more pitiful in the world than when Yuffie pouted.

"Well, _fiiiiiiiiine!_ I'll do it. Geez, Yuffie, just stop pouting."

Instantly the pout was replaced by a maniacal grin. "Guh-reeeeeeat! Let's do it, Riku!"

"Can't anyone else help us?" Riku sighed. "I mean, _look _at it all!"

"It's not_ that _bad, Riku! Get a grip! Anyway, I do have two people helping us…"

"And whom might those people be, Yuffie?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

"Riku, _darling!" _a person exclaimed, glomping Riku all the while.

"Help! Yuffie, this is _NOT _help! And Reno, geroff me! And I thought you weren't speaking to me?"

"Well, I decided it would be more fun to torture you, so yes, I am speaking to you again!"

Suddenly, a song made its way towards Riku's ears. A terribly, terribly off-key song. "And Demyx, too? What were you thinking? Has this become "Torture Riku Day"?"

"Oh, that sounds like _scads_ of fun!" Reno chimed in.

"I wasn't talking to you, dimwit!"

"Oh, now, Riku, that was really just too mean…"

"I don't care!"

"_AAAAAND IIIIIIIII-EEEE-IIIIIIIII WILL AAAAAALOOOOOOOWAAAAAAAYS LOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOU-UUUUU-IEIEIE!" _Demyx sang as he entered the room.

"My ears! My ears! They bleed!" Riku screamed as he fled from the room.

"Riku, get your butt back here!"

"But _whyyyyyyy?" _he whined.

"Because we have to decorate for Christmas! Now get back here and start unpacking the stuff! And then we gotta go out and buy a tree!"

"You never mentioned that part!"

"So what? Riku, if you don't come back I'll send Demyx after you to sing "I Will Always Love You" right in your ear!"

Riku sped back immediately.

* * *

"This. Is. Not. My. DAY."

Axel exited the bus soaking wet. Why was he soaking wet, you ask? Well, you see, shockingly enough, there was a clown on the bus. Yes, a living, breathing, actual, in-your-face clown.

And he sat right next to Axel. Axel had already not been in the best mood because he really wanted to see Roxas and just get there quickly—but his spirits had picked up at the thought of even seeing the blond.

But the clown wanted to have fun with Axel—and Axel wasn't particularly in the mood for it. And the clown had one of those spray bottles…

Let's just say it didn't go down well. Not at all.

Axel still had to walk a couple of blocks before he would actually get to the Sunshine Supermarket. It was blistering cold, and he was soaking wet—this was not a good match; no, not at all…

People kept shooting him odd, curious looks. After all, he was muttering to himself, and walking down the street soaking wet in the dead of winter. He honestly seemed like a crazy person.

"Stupid fucking clown," he grumbled as he made his way along the sidewalk. He muttered similar things until finally…

…he arrived. It was one of those giant supermarkets, like Wal-Mart or Kroger. It had a giant sun symbol on it, hence "Sunshine" Supermarket. Axel had to contain his giggling. To think that Roxas worked in a place with "Sunshine" as a part of the name was really just too funny.

From outside, he saw Roxas through the windows. He was squabbling with some platinum blond guy. Without knowing why, a monster swelled inside the pit of his stomach at the sight of Roxas with another guy. **(1)**

He went to the door and waited a moment. And finally, he entered.

* * *

So, Axel was having a rough day so far. But you wonder about Riku's? Well, it was going even _worse_, believe it or not.

They had several artificial trees they had to unpack, and Riku could not even believe what a hideous job it was to put them together. They simply refused to fit.

"Why. On. Earth. Would. They. Even. Make. Parts. That. Won't. Fit. Together?" he cried out as he continued to stab one of the branches against the base, assuming if he did this, it would make it fit better.

It did not help matters whatsoever that Demyx continued to sing the whole time.

Or that Reno kept glomping him and kept saying he was, and I quote, "IN LUUUURVE!"

Now he was just asking for it when Riku chucked a box at him. Hit him right in the nose, too. Riku was quite proud of his aim, I might add.

Yuffie actually was being the best of the three, and Riku was thankful to her for that. Finally, after about an hour, Yuffie and he had finally put together three of the five artificial trees.

Yuffie said she would tackle the other two trees if Riku would start getting out the garland and stockings for the mantle. He gladly did so, wanting to escape the horror of putting together the trees.

However, Riku had no idea what was going to happen next.

He was beginning to get out the garland, when Rikku and her two friends Yuna and Paine, popped up beside him.

"Hello, other Riku!" she greeted.

"Hello, little Rikku!"

"I'm not_ that _little!" she insisted.

"All right, all right. Anyway, you girls wanna help me?"

Riku missed it, but devilish grins spread across the three girls' faces. "Of course!" they all cried together.

The garland was _extremely _long. Like, probably around 20 feet. Riku wondered where on earth it would all go…

He was pulling the stockings out of the box when it happened.

He had not realized what had been occurring for the last minute or two, but somehow the three girls had wound the garland around him; they had his legs locked together and were currently trapping his left arm.

Riku only realized once his left arm was completely trapped. "What in the?" he exclaimed as they worked on his right arm, bounding him as well.

He continued to make protests as they finished their work. Once he was completely bound, Yuna grabbed a Christmas bow out of one of the boxes and stuck it on Riku's mouth, to stop his protesting.

"Flmet fee vout mof fmere!" he demanded. (Translation: "Let me out of here!")

"What was that, other Riku? Sorry, couldn't quite catch it."

"Have you got him bound and gagged, girls?" asked Reno as walked over. "Excellent!"

Riku gave Reno such a death glare that the redhead actually legitimately feared for his life. Yes, it was indeed that scary. The only thing, perhaps stopping Riku from killing him, was the fact that he was tied up. Otherwise our beloved Reno would surely be dead, yes.

The anger meter was also at 14, so that was rather scary in and of itself.

"FRENO!" Riku shouted in muffled anger.

Reno cupped his ear and bent down over towards Riku, saying, "What was that, darling Riku? Nope, can't hear ya!"

"Vwat far foo mvall fooing?" he begged, his eyes wild. What on earth was going to happen to him?" (Translation: "What are you all doing?")

"Well, Riku, if you must know, we are offering you up as a Christmas sacrifice. This has to happen every year, or we won't get the presents we like."

"VI find't mink Fanta vorked vat may!" Riku objected, rolling his eyes. (Translation: "I didn't think Santa worked that way!")

"This has nothing to do with Santa, you silly bean. It has everything to do with—"

"Reno!" another voice objected, voicing Riku's exact thoughts.

He looked up to see his savior's face. Surprisingly enough, it was Yuffie.

"Yes, Yuffie! Check it out! I have Riku made up as the sacrifice!"

Yuffie kicked him in the shin. "Will you stop insisting on doing this every year?" And get Riku out of there! You're slowing things up! And you dragged Yuna, Paine, and Rikku into it, too! Innocent children, goodness' sake, Reno!"

Yep, when Yuffie was pissed, you did NOT want to be the one she was pissed at. Rather a predicament if you were the one, if I do say so myself.

She hit Reno on the shoulder for good measure.

"All right, all right!" he said. "Just stop hitting and kicking me! Geez, Devil-Woman!"

He got kicked again just for that.

Riku finally was untied, and they were able to put up the garland and the stockings. The artificial trees were all out and put together.

"All right, Riku, next thing on the agenda. Demyx and I are going to stay in here and decorate more, and I need you and Reno to put the outdoor lights on the bushes and roof. And you better hurry before it gets dark."

"With RENO?" Riku objected at once.

"Yes, with Reno. I got him to promise he would behave. Would you rather have Demyx?"

Distant echoes of "My Girl" made their way to Riku's ears. "Nope, I'm good, thanks."

And he darted outside with Reno, fleeing the singing voice of doom that is known as Demyx.

* * *

Roxas was about to kill Vexen. He was positively driving him up a wall. If it were possible for him to get another job, he would. But he had been rejected everywhere else—and this was all he could get.

He didn't even know what he was complaining about this time—he did his best to tune him out entirely. But the platinum blond was threatening to call Xigbar out again—and that was the final straw.

But just then, a person walked through the doors. A redhead, to be precise. Volcanohead, to be even more precise.

Roxas' eyes bugged wide in shock. He was _not _expecting that. Most certainly not.

"V-Volcanohead?" he sputtered at the sight of him.

"Tornadohead!" Axel grinned as soon as he saw the blond.

"Tornado…head?" Vexen questioned.

"Shut up, Ice-freak," spat Roxas. "Volcanohead, what on earth are you doing here?" Roxas asked, bewildered.

Volcanoes, tornadoes, ice, and earth—all present. This is turning into a nature fic…

"W-well," Axel stuttered, scratching the back of his head. He suddenly felt so nervous; so shy, and he didn't even know why… His cheeks reddened as he continued, "I just —."

He said the last part in merely two breaths—quite a feat, indeed.

Roxas took a moment to take in all the redhead had said. "Err…okay."

_I was not expecting this, I was not expecting this, I was not expecting this! _Roxas began to repeat over and over again in his head. He was about to go into full-blown panic mode.

He gripped his head and turned away from Axel.

Yep, definitely full-blown panic mode.

"Err…Roxas? You okay?" Axel asked tentatively.

"Why are these things happening to me? I was not expecting this! Not at all! Why is the Volcanohead here?" Roxas said to himself…aloud.

"Oh, no, he's talking to himself again…" Axel mumbled.

He wondered what on earth had gone wrong. He thought things would go really well between Roxas and he—they had, after all, finally seemed to have broken a barrier yesterday. They finally could really consider themselves friends.

Axel already loved all of his friends—Riku would always be his best friend, but he also loved Tidus, Wakka, Naminé, Kairi, and Selphie…and yet…

He did not know why, but he wanted to get to know Roxas so well, and he was completely drawn to him. He felt that way as soon as he saw the blond. He still did not know—but he felt like…

…he was his other half.

Because, you know, no person is ever whole. They need to find that other person that will make them one again.

He felt like Roxas completed him in some way. That was the only logical way of explaining it…

…not like it sounded that logical when you said it, anyway.

"Um, Roxas, I'm here, you know."

"I get my break in ten minutes," the blond suddenly announced. "Wait for me outside, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

"ARE. YOU. FRIGGIN'. KIDDIN'. ME?" Riku shouted at the top of his voice.

He was currently on the roof.

And Reno was on the ground.

"Get your sorry ass up here already!" he ordered.

"Uh-uh, no can do, Riku," said Reno, shaking his head.

"And why is that?" demanded Riku through gritted teeth.

"Because I'm down here handing you the lights."

"But I already have all of them up here!"

"Well, that's not my fault. Carry on, Riku, do your work!"

Reno made the "shoo-ing" motion with his hands, as if that would make things any better.

"You are such an ignoramus!"

"Ooh, big word there, Riku, better watch out so your brain doesn't fry."

"Do you want me to come down there and kill you?" Riku threatened.

"Riku, dear, I don't think you want to do that. Anyway, stop complaining and hurry up and do the lights so you can get down and we can eat dinner! I'm gonna be working on the lights down here, so get crackin' on your job!"

Riku muttered a string of curses under his breath. He did, however, return to his work. And let me tell you—people always made it look easy. Stringing lights along a roof like they just naturally stuck on.

They. Did. Not.

It took Riku nearly two hours to finish, while it took Reno thirty minutes to do his work on the ground. He kept egging Riku on, telling him to hurry up, and driving Riku positively crazy.

Finally, Riku finished. And he was quite satisfied with his work. It looked really…beautiful out here. It was nearly completely dark now, and the lights shone beautifully.

"They look nice, Riku!" Reno called up from the ground.

"Ye—" Riku began to say, but he didn't finish.

He had taken a step backwards on the roof, to try and see the lights better. However, this was a grave mistake. Riku lost his footing, and fell backwards off of the roof.

He felt like he fell in slow motion, and his whole life did NOT flash before his eyes. However, one person came to his mind—and one person alone.

_Sora._

All he saw was Sora's blue eyes, thinking that he would never see them again once he hit the cold, hard ground.

Surprisingly, though, when he hit the ground. It was not hard—it was rather soft. It was warm, too. Riku wondered how this was possible…

"Ugh, you're so heeeeeavy," he heard a muffled voice complain from underneath him.

"RENO?" Riku exclaimed in shock. "Why are you—" he stopped mid-sentence. He was about to ask why Reno was underneath him, and then he realized.

_Reno had saved him._

"Reno, you dove under me to cushion my fall?" Riku asked in disbelief.

"Well, it actually didn't pan out how I wanted it to…I was trying to catch you but it got all messed up, and instead you landed on top of me. And it really hurt. And you're heavy. So, if you don't mind, could you _please _get off me?"

Riku obliged immediately.

As he stood up, he could really see the lights. "Whoa, they're amazing."

"Yep, you did a good job, Riku," he said as he patted him on the back. "And you nearly died trying, so you put in your best effort."

Riku growled. "If you had helped me in the first place, maybe it wouldn't have happened at all!"

"Oh, mere technicalities, Riku," laughed Reno. "Remember who saved your life; I didn't have to do that, y'know. You should be grateful."

Riku sighed. "I am, Reno."

And before Reno knew what as happening, Riku had hugged him. Tightly.

Reno laughed slightly, once his surprise was gone, and hugged Riku back. "You're welcome."

Reno pulled back and cleared his throat awkwardly. He seemed to mumble something along the lines of "youlook somuchlike Kadaj," but it was hard to tell.

"Are you all done? We are, too," Yuffie said as the two entered the orphanage. "Okay," she continued without waiting for a response, "we've gotta quickly eat dinner, and then we'll head out and pick the perfect tree. Okay?"

She said this all so quickly Riku hardly took it in. But when he saw Aerith come out with the trays, he dashed to get them, and then ran up the stars. After all, he would get to see Sora. And he could tell him about how he nearly died, too…

* * *

It seemed like it had longer than ten minutes to Axel…Roxas was never going to come out and see him…

But then he suddenly heard the doors slide open, and out stepped Roxas.

"Th-there you are!" Axel sputtered nervously. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

Roxas was silent for a moment. His lips were pursed tightly—and he seemed like he was holding back—as if he had wanted to say something.

"So, what is it, Volcanohead?" Roxas asked as he sat down beside the redhead.

"I just wanted to see you, that's all! We had such a great day yesterday! And besides, I need my ten Roxas facts for the day."

Roxas groaned. "You're still going to do that?"

"Of course!" Axel beamed as he got out his notebook and pen. "Go ahead; spill."

After much coaxing on Axel's part, Roxas finally caved and gave him ten notes that he happily wrote in his notebook.

1. His favorite movie is Space Jam

2. His birthday's August 9th **(2)**

3. He hates working at Sunshine Market

4. He wants to go to Twilight Town college

5. He's never done paintball

6. He wishes he could hurry up and graduate and leave the orphanage

7. Vexen, his coworker, is his mortal enemy

8. He really likes hot chocolate

9. He doesn't believe in magic, despite loving Disney

10. He wants to do a marathon of watching all the Disney movies in order

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Axel asked once Roxas was done.

"Yes, yes it was, Volcanohead. I don't see how you can expect me to think of more facts. I can't think of anymore! I'm a rather boring person, y'know!"

"No, you're not. You're the most interesting person I've ever met."

Roxas' eyes bugged wide, and his cheeks flushed.

"You're crazy," he muttered quietly.

"Well, that may be so," Axel began, "but if being crazy means that I think you're amazing and interesting, well…I don't mind that at all."

As if Roxas wasn't already red enough, that did the trick! He was also red out of disappointment with himself. He needed to not get any more attached to Axel than he already was, and this was becoming an immense problem since the redhead had visited him at work.

"Crazy," Roxas muttered again; it was barely even audible.

Axel merely grinned; he was indescribably happy. He was a tad nervous at first, but Roxas was being his usual self. Not the nicest, but not being outright mean, so that was good.

"I—" he was about to speak, but he found the words got stuck in his throat, and he merely stared at Roxas.

"What is it, Volcanohead?"

Axel took a moment to respond, but finally answered, "Nevermind."

"No, that was definitely something."

"No, really, I forgot what I was going to say."

"You forgot? Are you really that dense?"

"Yes, yes I am." Axel laughed. "Oh, Roxas, I missed you."

And if it were even possible, Roxas turned even redder. He cleared his throat. He needed to get away; he needed to separate himself from Axel.

"My shift's about to start again so I gotta get back inside before Vexen yells my head off and tells Xigbar again. Geez, that stupid Ice Freak," Roxas said as he started to stand up from the bench.

"W-wait! Roxas!" Axel called out before the blond was completely gone.

"What?"

"W-well…" Axel was all of a sudden a nervous mess again. All he could muster up to say was, "I hope you have a good day."

"Thanks, you, too, Volcanohead," and with that, Roxas was gone.

Axel was left alone on the bench, feeling somewhat sad and lonely now. He couldn't help but wonder…why Roxas had to leave before his break was really going to end. (After all, why would he have to return at 5:18?)

Axel might be oblivious a lot of the time; he might be a little thick—but he could not help noticing…that it seemed…that Roxas was trying to run away from him.

"Did I do something wrong?" Axel whispered to himself.

* * *

"Riku, stop complaining."

"What am I doing now? I'm not even saying anything!" he objected.

"You're complaining in your head. Ah-ah-ah-AH! Don't deny it! I know you are!" Yuffie insisted.

Riku mumbled something about "mind-readers" or the like, but it was a little hard to tell.

"We're just going to get the tree, Riku, sheesh. I thought you'd like this part."

And with a pang in his chest, a memory crystal clear found its way to his thoughts.

"_Daaaaaddyyyy! It's time to go and get the treeeee!"_

_Riku's father laughed. "I'm coming, Ri, just wait up. You're too fast for your old man."_

"_You're not old, Daddy!" Riku objected._

"_All right, if you say so."_

_The man picked Riku up and hoisted him up on his shoulders. Riku giggled. _

"_All right! Let's go get that tree! Come on! It's our tradition, after all!"_

As much as Riku loved Christmas, it was with a pang of sadness in his heart every year that he got a tree. He and his father had always done it—it was always their tradition.

And getting a Christmas tree without him simply seemed empty.

And to not help matters, he had hardly been able to spend any time with Sora. He had had to have a quick dinner, Yuffie had insisted. She said they had taken too much time putting up the lights.

"But I nearly died!" Riku had objected.

Yet, this information did not change Yuffie's opinion.

So, to put two and two together, that it is why Riku Sugisaki was, yet again, in a bad mood.

And it did not help matters that Yuffie was behind the wheel. He had begged and begged her to let him drive, however, she simply refused.

Riku knew she liked torturing him. She had to. It was the only possible explanation.

Finally, they made it in one piece. Which was an immense relief to Riku—he thought surely they were going to die this time. He already had one near-death experience earlier…he didn't need another one.

They got out of the car and went on to the giant patch of trees. There were so many different ones to pick from Riku could hardly believe it.

_This wasn't where my Dad and I went…_ he thought to himself. This thought made him feel a tad happier—and he got a bit more into the spirit of things because of it.

"Oh my gosh, that tree is gigantic!" Reno commented as they caught sight of the tree in the center of them all.

"Whoa…" Riku and Yuffie both echoed, mouths wide. "Amazing…"

Then they both stared at each other incredulously for saying the same thing at the same time.

"Let's buy this one!" Demyx suggested.

"Yes, I dare say I think we should," Reno agreed.

"Can we _fit_ that in the orphanage?" Yuffie questioned, tilting her head as if she were sizing up the tree.

"I think it's perfect and we need to buy it, c'mon, Yuffie," said Riku.

Everyone stared at Riku, amazed.

"Oh, Riku!" cried Yuffie as she threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

She pulled away after a moment.

"Yes, yes, we'll take it!"

She said this before they considered the fact that the tree would most likely not fit on top of their car.

* * *

"For the love of all that is good and holy, I am just glad we have made it home in one piece," Riku said as soon as he got out of the car.

You see, the tree really _had _been way too big to fit on the car, and as a result, it made the car…a little…funny as they drove—weighing it down and blocking part of Yuffie's vision in the windshield.

It almost gave out at one point when they hit a pothole.

And because Yuffie couldn't see well, she nearly drove off the bridge.

It was a most horrifying experience, indeed.

Riku would have kissed the ground in gratitude—but he remembered how that upset Yuffie last time, so he refrained from doing so.

Now they had another problem on their hands: how on earth to get the tree through the door.

"Yuffie, I don't think it's gonna fit," said Riku as he sized up the door.

"We will make it fit, silly Riku!" Yuffie said, shrugging off his concerns. She skipped to the door. "I'm gonna fetch Cloud and Leon to help us!"

She returned with Cloud and Leon.

"Yuffie, I don't think it'll fit," Cloud echoed Riku's concerns.

"How could you buy such a big tree, Yuffie? You should have realized we'd have issues," said Leon.

"Don't lecture me now, Leon!" Yuffie shouted. "Let's just try and work together and get this thing inside, all right?"

No one complained to Yuffie anymore after that; she had an evil glint in her eye.

It took the combined efforts of Leon, Cloud, Reno, Demyx, and Riku to get the tree through the door. What was Yuffie doing? Shouting instructions at them the entire time.

"Turn left!" she would say.

"No, no, no! Right! RIGHT!"

Suffice to say, it did not work out too well.

"Damn it, Yuffie, if you think you can do it any better, why don't you try moving this thing? It weighs a TON!" Riku screeched at her.

"I have delicate, feminine arms, so no can do, Riku!" Yuffie grinned.

Riku muttered a string of curses under his breath; thankfully, Yuffie did not catch them.

"C'mon, PUSH!" Yuffie shouted through her megaphone.

Riku idly wondered where on earth she had acquired a megaphone all of a sudden, but he dare not ask.

It took fifteen more minutes, but they finally got it through the door.

"Oh my good lord, I can't believe we did it," Riku said as he lay down on the floor.

Riku was not the only one that collapsed down onto the floor from exhaustion, he soon was joined by Cloud, Reno, and Demyx. Leon and Yuffie remained standing.

Yuffie, however, would not take this sitting down (literally.)

"Get your sorry butts back up!" she shouted through her megaphone. "We still need to get the tree in the living room and in its tree stand! It can't just stay here on its side in the middle of the room!"

"Yuffie, just let us rest for one min—" Riku began but was interrupted.

"There is no time for rest! I repeat, get your sorry butts off the floor!"

But no one found the strength to get up until five minutes later; Yuffie was most displeased.

With their combined efforts, they managed to get the tree set up and in the living room in about ten minutes. Miraculously enough, the tree just fit. And there would be the tiniest room for a star on top.

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!" Yuffie cheered as she bounced all around the room. "We did it! We did it! We did it! We did it!"

"You didn't do anything," Riku snorted.

Yuffie nearly killed Riku for that.

Yes, she nearly did.

Cloud and Leon had to restrain her. She had tried to strangle him. That comprises of four near-death situations Riku had found himself in today. Bet his mother never expected this would happen, huh?

Five minutes later, after they had finally managed to calm down Yuffie, they called all the children down to decorate the tree. Once they were all present, Riku couldn't help but notice one person was missing.

Sora.

Of course, he couldn't make it down on his own. But Riku thought it was too sad for the boy not to join in the festivities—even if he said he did not like Christmas—Riku wanted to change his views.

Just like tonight…he had not wanted to get the tree—it reminded him of painful memories, and that's how Sora felt.

He just…wanted to see him get into the Christmas spirit. That was all.

So he ran up the stairs like a light to retrieve the boy; Yuffie was about to ask where he was going, but she already knew, so there was no need.

"Sora!" Riku cried as he burst into the room.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed in surprise. He had not expected the boy to come in like that all of a sudden. It made his heart jump slightly. "You're back!"

"Yeah! It took forever. I missed you."

Sora's cheeks heated up immediately; he looked down at his legs as to not catch Riku's eyes. "O-oh?"

"Yeah! Yuffie dragged me away so quickly! I felt like we didn't even get a proper dinner!"

Riku sat down on his bed.

"Anyway, I wanted to bring you downstairs…we bought the tree and all the kids are decorating it…I thought you'd want to come down, too."

"Oh, I…I dunno…" Sora mumbled.

"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Riku extended his hand towards Sora.

Sora simply stared at the hand; and then stared into Riku's aquamarine eyes. He cleared his throat. "O-okay…"

"Grrrreat!" Riku cheered as he stood up.

Sora was oddly reminded of Tony the Tiger. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

Riku picked up Sora a la bridal style. Despite Riku doing this several times already, Sora was not used to this and it still embarrassed him immensely. To make matters worse, he had to hang onto Riku's neck for support.

They went down the stairs in relative ease, and made it back to the living room—where things were already quite hectic—to say the least.

Riku found a quiet spot to set Sora down on one of the couches; he was in just enough reach where he could reach the tree and put ornaments up on this side. He brought over a bin of ornaments just for Sora to unwrap and place wherever he wanted to.

"You have everything you need?" Riku asked.

"Y-yes…thank you, Riku."

Riku didn't quite know why, but every time Sora said his name, his heart went a-fluttering again.

The voice, if he were not on vacation (he needed it to get away from all of Riku's denial) would surely have commented on this thought of Riku's. But, alas, he was gone for the moment…

An hour or so passed by as the children decorated not only the large tree in the middle of the room; but all of the smaller, artificial ones that Yuffie had acquired on their Christmas shopping expedition.

Riku kept casting sideways glances at Sora. He was most pleased whenever he saw the brunet smiling; it made his heart feel like it was going to burst. He was beginning to wonder why this was…but just then, before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, Yuffie bounded up next to him.

"Ri-_ku!_" she said with a wide grin on her face, her arms clasped behind her back. "Would you, dearest, do the honor of putting the star on top? We usually switch who gets to do it every year, and since this is your year with us, we thought you should get to do it."

Riku paused a moment before answering. He whispered something in Yuffie's ear. At first, she looked surprised, but then smiled.

"Great idea, Riku!" she cheered.

She ran over to stand on a chair, her megaphone in tow. "All right, listen up, people! We have reached that oh-so-special-time of the Christmas decorating night! We have reached the final ornament—the star to be put up on the main tree. And we are having a very special person complete this very special task! And that person is…drum roll please…_Sora!"_

Sora looked shocked, as if he couldn't have heard Yuffie correctly. He was putting the star on top of the tree? But he couldn't even stand up to do so…

Riku walked over to him, extending his hand once more. "C'mon, Sora."

Sora took his hand, smiling a very small smile.

Riku asked Sora to jump up on his back, as if it were a piggyback ride. Yuffie handed Sora the star, and the two boys made their way over to the tree.

"You think you can reach it, Sora?"

"I dunno…it seems a little high," replied the boy as he extended his arm upwards. "Just a li'l more, maybe…"

Riku hoisted the boy higher up on his back, so that he was really perched on his shoulders now. "Got it?"

Sora reached over, swaying slightly, towards the tree. He managed to just barely put the star on top. "Yep!" he cheered as he placed it on the tip-top of the tree.

Everyone clapped and cheered, looking at their magnificent work.

Yuffie cleared her throat, and then shouted into her megaphone. "Everyone grab your coats! Let's go outside and look at the marvelous work Reno and Riku did outside!"

"Reno? He didn't do _anything_!" Riku grumbled.

"I only saved your life!" the redhead objected.

Riku grumbled more under his breath, but it wasn't audible to anyone but himself.

"Well, Sora, shall we go?" He turned his head backwards to face the brunet.

"Okay…" He smiled at Riku softly.

Riku beamed at Sora. "YAY! Sora, I'm just so happy right now!"

"You…you are?

"Yes! Because you smiled, Sora!"

Sora's cheeks turned a furious shade of red; he did not say anything back to the silver-haired boy, he merely kept quiet.

They journeyed outside—most everyone had already left and they were behind.

When they all were finally outside, there were many whoops of excitement, cheers, and clapping. They all agreed that it was beautiful—and that Riku and Reno had done a great job.

"You meet my approval, Riku," said Xemnas as he patted him on the back. "But you really must submit!"

"But to what?" Riku asked.

"Exactly."

"Err…okay…"

"It's really beautiful, Riku," Sora whispered in his ear so that only he could hear.

"You mean it, Sora?"

"Yeah, of course I do, silly."

Riku had the sudden realization that today was a very magical day.

And he could not be happier that he was out here, spending it with Sora. It seemed like all the other people around them melted away—and it was just the two of them—out here on this beautiful, beautiful night.

And he could not wish for anything more

* * *

It was 9:30, and it was time for Axel to go home. Roxas had not returned from his job, even though he should have been home by 7:30, just in time for dinner.

Axel supposed…that he would have to leave without seeing the blond again.

He was beginning to head down the stairs, when the door opened and in stepped Roxas. Axel was stunned for a moment, and just stayed on the stairs, staring at the blond.

Roxas made his way up the stairs without casting a single glance at the redhead.

"See ya," Roxas said softly as he finished his trek up the stairs.

Axel could not help but stare at his retreating form. He finally descended the stairs, muttered a "goodbye" to Rinoa, and ventured outside. He wandered in silence until he reached the bus stop.

Axel boarded the bus when it arrived, sat down, and let his thoughts take over. He was feeling lonelier than he had ever felt in his life.

What…was going on?

* * *

**1 – **So, when I wrote this, I had recently read Harry Potter again…and remember how Harry got jealous when Ginny was with other guys and the monster was inside him? Yeah, hah, that's where that's from.

**2 – **So, my birthday is August 9th, gave it to Roxas, ahahaha.

Also, as a sidenote, I wrote the part of Dem singing "I Will Always Love you" before Whitney died. :(

**Next chapter: **Zemyx! Lots of it! Riku gives Zexion advice, Axel runs an errand for Rinoa and surprisingly runs into someone, and Riku has a realization about his feelings.

**IMPORTANT: **I am running out of ideas for the "ten Roxas facts a day thing" hahahaha. SO, if you have any idea of "facts" that Roxas could have himself-please leave them in your reviews! It would be greatly appreciated and help my writer's block with that aspect!

I really loved this chapter—Riku's such a little idiot, bahahaha. I love him, though. Don't forget to leave me lovely **reviews (and hit 300!) **to tell me how it was! Until next time, on AUG! (:


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